I Won't Give Up
by xNekorux
Summary: Ashe Avarosa's father remarries after her mother had died giving birth to her and unfortunately, her stepmother wants a son, not a daughter. She was raised to move, act and speak like a boy. Now, in her last year in college, she has been enrolled in Valoran University, where she finds herself struggling in keeping her true gender due to a certain Du Couteau. {KatarinaxAshe} [Yuri]
1. Chapter 1

This story contains a bunch of **profanities** , **sexual** **humor** , **sexual** **themes** and what not, so if you're bothered with that, don't force yourself to read this. ￣ˍ￣

Story rating may be considered as Rated MA for Mature Audiences. Warnings may or may not be given on the start of a chapter whenever there's a scene not suitable for readers below 16-18 years old. •﹏•

Every suggestion will be taken under consideration and will be given credit when your suggested idea will be used. (o^^)o

Credits from all images, including the picture of the cover, belongs to the rightful owners. I merely edited the cover, which I found on Google. ╮（╯◇╰）╭

I DO NOT CLAIM THE GAME, LEAGUE OF LEGENDS OR THE IMAGES. CREDITS BELONG TO RESPECTIVE OWNERS AND CREATORS.

In advance, I apologize if there are any typos and grammatical errors. English is not my native language, it's Tagalog, so, yeah! ﹋o﹋

I hope you readers enjoy the story! ∩_∩

 **ACT** **1**

Ashe Avarosa let out a huff as she placed another taped box on top of another. She straightened her posture and rolled her shoulders, feeling and hearing a few satisfying clicks.

"I'm sure you're pretty excited for your new apartment." Her father, Alkove Avarosa, said as he carried a bigger box inside her new apartment, placing it beside the other boxes.

Ashe smiled and nodded. "I am. I finally have my own home."

"That, doesn't mean..." A woman in the same age as her father joined in. "You'll have to change anything, right?"

Alkove frowned while Ashe's smile disappeared. She just decided to nod her head as a form of reply to the speaker.

"Yes, mother."

"Even though you won't be living with us anymore, you'll always be my son." Sierra Avarosa, Alkove's second wife and same time Ashe's stepmother, cooed, smiling at her.

"Sierra, Ashe had just turned eighteen a month ago. I'm sure she's old enough to make her own decisions in her life." Alkove spoke.

The woman turned and glared at her husband. "That's **HE** and **HIS** , Alkove. I have no daughter. Only a son, and that's final."

Alkove sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to start an argument, but when Ashe placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, he decided to just keep quiet.

"Oh, Ashe, I bought you some new clothes! I wouldn't want you to prance around wearing your old clothing, so I made sure to do your shopping for you!"

Sierra's mood swings are unpredictable. One minute she's all mean and strict, then then the next minute, she's all happy and supportive.

Well, she's supportive to Ashe if she's acting the way she wants her to act.

"Oh, umm, thank you, mother. I appreciate it." Ashe thanked politely.

"I already put it in your bedroom earlier. I think a big boy like you can handle putting it away, right?"

Ashe nodded.

"Great! Now," Sierra opened her arms for her. "Give your mother a hug."

With internal reluctance, Ashe stepped forward and hugged the older woman.

"I also bought you bandages. They're in the bedroom. Make sure you use them." Sierra murmured.

"Yes, Mother."

As soon as Ashe pulled back, Sierra turned away and ushered her husband to follow her.

"Come on, darling. We'll be having dinner with one of our business clients in an hour."

"I'll be right down."

She and her father waited for Sierra to leave the apartment before they both said their goodbyes to each other.

"Listen, honey. If you want to go shopping and buy your own clothes, just use the credit card I gave. Also, I'll be depositing your allowance in your account every week. I'll make sure I'll add an extra for your clothes shopping."

She shook her head. "No need, Father. I don't want Sierra to get mad."

"You're eighteen now, Ashe. You need to live your life the way you were born to live it."

"I'm fine. I'm already used to wearing men's clothes and being Sierra's son."

Her father frowned for a moment before weakly smiling and stroking her cheek. "At least she had let you grow your hair out."

She smiled as she thought of how long her snow white hair has gotten for the past few years. She had managed to convince Sierra to let her grow her hair out and she's quite thankful that the older woman had permitted it.

"You look beautiful, Ashe. You look like your mother."

"Thank you, Father." The genuine smile on her face was enough for Alkove to smile sincerely.

"I'll be leaving now. Good luck in school."

Ashe nodded and gave her father a hug before she escorted him out of her new apartment. As soon as her father left and the front door closed, she locked it and made her way to the master bedroom.

She's really grateful that the apartment her father had bought for her is wide, spacious and completely furnished. All that's left to do is to unpack a few framed pictures, her clothes and that's that.

Walking into the bedroom, she found the shopping bags Sierra had mentioned earlier on the white three-seater sofa of her queen-size bed. There's also a few shopping bags at the seat beside the window. The amount of shopping are a lot more than she had expected.

 _'She_ _probably_ _shopped_ _a_ _whole_ _year's_ _worth_ _of_ _clothes_.' She half-sarcastically thought with a sigh. _'_ _Men's_ _clothes_ , _I_ assume.'

Her eyes then landed on the paper bag on her covered bed. Walking up to it, she peeked inside to see the contents.

Bandages.

 _'Right,'_ She shook her head. _'Probably to constrict my chest.'_

Ashe's body has developed beautifully from the past few years. She has a body a lot of women would practically kill for, but she doesn't really have the opportunity to wear clothes that will compliment it.

Since her body has matured, she's been having difficulty in hiding her chest from the people around her. At first, bandaging her chest was painful and made it hard for her to breathe and move properly, but she's used to it now. She even adds a thin corset-like material to make sure her chest looks as flat as possible.

About her voice though, she deepens it for the people around her, so they won't conjure up any suspicions. Despite being used to the act of deepening her voice, she can shift back to her soft and loving voice in a blink of an eye.

Regarding with her wearing any make-up, she has never applied a single cosmetic on her face. Well, except for powder, but that's it. That's one of the main reasons why she takes utter care of her face.

She can't help but feel a little sorry for the girls she had encountered. They all developed crushes on her and were greatly attracted to her, but she never did return their feelings. After all, she's a girl herself.

It made her wonder.

 _'Will I ever see the day where I'm in a relationship with someone?'_

Ashe had always been home-schooled, tutors come and go to teach her five days a week. But, after much persuasion and agreeing to Sierra's conditions, she finally convinced her stepmother to let her experience in actually attending a school.

She didn't have any friends, since her mother prohibited her from meeting new people.

'One day, I'm going to die alone.'

The thought made her sadly sigh.

 **xxxxx** **xxxxx** **xxxxx** **xxxxx**

Ashe arranged her black tie before grabbing the blazer from the bed. After she finished fixing her tie, she shrugged the white blazer on.

As expected, she's wearing the uniform that's supposedly for boys, which consists of a white long sleeve polo, a black tie, a white blazer with black outlines, black pants and a pair of black shoes.

She gathered her long hair and tied it with a thin hair tie, the hair tie just a few inches from the tips of her hair.

"All ready." She said to her reflection, tugging at the hem of her blazer.

She turned away from the mirror and grabbed her black leather bag. She snatched her keys from her dresser before leaving the bedroom.

Ashe locked her apartment and made her way to the elevator. She pushed the down button and much to her luck, it slid open after a few seconds.

When it slid open, she found three girls socializing with each other. Based from their uniforms, they must be from a different school. The uniform didn't match Valoran University's uniforms.

She stepped into the lift, catching the attention of the three females. They instantly became quiet. As the elevator moved downward, Ashe could feel their gazes on her back.

"Wow, he's cute." She heard one of them whisper.

"Cute? He's hot!" The other giggled.

"And he's from Valoran University!" The third one whispered.

"He's rich, he's hot, and he must be smart too!" The first one squealed lowly.

"He's the complete package!" The second one also squealed.

Ashe wanted to turn to them and clarify that she's a girl, but she resisted. Sierra might find out. She quietly sighed.

 _'Based_ _from_ _their_ _squeals_ _and_ _reactions, I guess I look like a guy right now. Oh, Sierra must be so proud right now.'_

The last sentence in her thoughts was purely sarcastic. She ignored the urge to cross her arms and furrow her eyebrows in mild irritation.

 _ **Ding!**_

Ashe stepped out of the elevator and swiftly made her escape before one of the girls gather enough courage to start a conversation with her, which would probably end up with those girls asking for her phone number. As much as possible, she wants to avoid that.

Hopefully, at Valoran University, she'll be able to finish the school year without any issues.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note:** _First chapter is always short. :)_

 _Also, this story is already completed. I just need to upload all of the chapters. :3_


	2. Chapter 2

**ACT 2**

It only took at least twenty minutes for Ashe to arrive at her new school. The parking lot was wide and offered many parking spaces. Despite the population of sports cars that are already parked in the lot, there are still lot of vacant spaces.

She parked her white Porsche Carrera at the space beside the motorcycle parking area of the lot.

"Alright," Ashe looked through the window and audited the students around the lot. "They all look friendly."

She turned her car's engine off before exiting the vehicle. Ashe was so nervous that she almost locked her car while her bag is still inside. She snatched her bag away from the front passenger seat before finally locking it.

 _'Okay, I have to find the principal first.'_

Walking away from her car, she made her way to the main entrance of the academy. She looked around in awe as she saw students arrive, some exiting their own driven cars while some exited from limousines.

"The students here seem to be nice." Ashe said to herself, smiling when she saw a muscular brown haired guy help a blonde girl with her bag.

"Leave me alone!"

Ashe snapped her head to the origin of the voice and found two guys cornering another guy against his own car.

"What are you going to do about it? Call for your friends?" The taller and much stronger-looking guy challenged with an arrogant grin.

"Too scared to fight back, Xin?" The other one with spiked up hair asked with a laugh.

"Hey!"

The brown haired guy and the blonde girl she saw earlier approached the commotion, a girl with red hair and a guy with black hair following them. The blonde shoved away the guy that laughed and glared at them.

"Leave Xin alone!"

"Oh, if it isn't little Luxanna." The big guy scoffed.

"Do we have a problem here, Darius?"

Darius turned to the two other guys and the girl with crimson red hair. He laughed and ushered his friend to step up.

"You were right, Draven. These guys move in flocks."

Draven laughed. "Told you! They're stuck to each other!"

"Do you have a problem with that?" The crimson haired girl asked, narrowing her red eyes at them.

"Not at all, Shyvana." Draven waved off. "No need to get your panties in a bunch."

Shyvana glared and looks ready to pounce when...!

"Everyone," A man called out. "Orientation starts in half an hour! Get to the auditorium, now."

The brewing fight was stopped in the nick of time. Students started making their way into the building. The scene Ashe had just witnessed made her a bit more nervous.

 _'Note to self, don't get involved in any fights. Especially when Darius and Draven are there.'_

"You must be Ashe."

Ashe looked forward and found an old but wise-looking man in front of her. The man held a hand out for her to shake.

"I'm Zilean Chronos, and I'm the principal of this school."

"Oh," Ashe cleared her throat and deepened her voice. "I'm Ashe Avarosa."

"Yes, I've been expecting you." Zilean chuckled. "Do not worry, my dear. Your father has informed me of the, how you say, predicament that you are in."

"I see..." Ashe spoke in her normal voice.

Zilean mildly frowned. "You have such a beautiful voice. It is quite unfortunate for your mother to force you to speak and dress like a man."

"I've gotten used to it, sir."

"If you have any questions or any wonders about this school that you'd like to be answered, do not hesitate to visit me at my office."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." She replied with polite smile and a nod.

"Come," Zilean ushered her to follow him, and so she did. "Orientation is about to start and we wouldn't want to be late now, would we?"

Ashe smiled.

"No, sir."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

When Ashe and the principal arrived at the auditorium, Zilean led her to the area where the male students are assigned to be seated. Since she is suppose to be a boy, she's left to sit with the men.

As soon as she sat down, she took a glance at her seatmate. She occupied an aisle seat, so her only seatmate is the one at her left. The guy beside her has long black hair, possessed a fair amount of facial hair and has a very muscular build that even she can see, despite the blazer he wore.

The guy then turned to her, which made her nerves go haywire. He looks like your typical rugged bully that will tear you apart and...!

"Hey, I'm Tryndamere," He introduced with a surprisingly friendly grin.

"Tryndamere? As in, the heir to Helkein Industry?" She asked in surprise, her voice back to its deepened sound again.

"Yeah, that's me." He pointed his thumb to himself as he confirmed it. "What about you? I haven't seen you here before. You a transferee?"

Ashe nodded. "Yes, I am. My name's Ashe Avarosa."

"Then, you're the _'secret'_ heir to Freljord Corporation?"

Alkove had made sure that Ashe's face won't get involved in the business affairs, especially now that she's still studying.

"Yeah, that's me."

Hers and Tryndamere's conversation was cut off as soon as they heard someone tap the mic at the podium on the stage.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Students exited the auditorium, heading off to their first class of the day. Ashe didn't really have a clue on where her first class is, so she tried asking Tryndamere to escort her to class.

But of course she got rejected.

"Listen, Ashe. If you were a girl, then I would have volunteered myself to escort you. See you around." That's what he had said before he left and went on his way.

 _'I **AM** a girl.' She had thought that time._

Ashe rubbed her temples. "How am I suppose to get to class now?"

"Need some help there, transferee?"

She turned to the origin of the voice and found the blonde girl from earlier. Her name's Luxanna from what she had remembered.

"Hey there! I'm Luxanna Crownguard, but you can call me Lux." She introduced with a bright smile and an outstretched hand.

"I'm Ashe Avarosa. It's nice to meet you, Lux." She returned, shaking the blonde's offered hand.

"Do you need help in finding your class?"

"Um, yeah. I don't even know which part I am in this school."

"What's your first subject?"

"Biology."

"Ooh! That's my first subject too! Professor Vladimir, right?"

"Yes."

"Come on!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

They were just a few doors away from the Biology class, based from what Lux had told her, when the said girl suddenly apologized.

"I'm sorry."

Her face twisted in confusion. "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's actually more of a sympathetic apology, actually."

"Why?"

"In Biology class, we work in pairs. In one pair, there's one boy and one girl. The reason why I'm sympathetically apologizing because the only one without a partner is the meanest person in VU."

"Which is...?"

"Her name's Katarina. She literally has breathtaking anger management issues and she's always mean and has this 'don't mess with me or I'll mess you up' kind of expression on her face."

Lux's words trailed away from her hearing as she processed the little news given to her.

 _'Great, just great. My first school partner is the bad girl of Valoran University.'_

"We're here!"

Ashe snapped out of her thoughts and returned to reality. She found herself and Lux standing at the doorway of their designated classroom.

"Professor Vladimir, I brought the transfer student with me." Lux said as she walked straight inside, her trailing behind and stopping beside the professor's table.

"Ah, yes, Mister Avarosa," Professor Vladimir gestured in front of him. "Take the seat beside Miss Du Couteau."

Ashe turned her head to survey her classmates. She spotted Lux now sitting beside her brother, Garen, which Lux had told her about earlier. The other females in the room looked at her adoringly. Obviously, they've been caught in her little trap that she didn't intentionally set.

Next thing she spotted is the only vacant seat in the room, which can be found beside a red haired student with intimidating emerald eyes and a scar on her left eye.

She swallowed silently before making her way to her seat. When she got there, she found the redhead's bag on her seat.

"What?" The redhead barked at her.

"Miss Du Couteau, be nice." Professor Vladimir said in a warning manner, looking up from his lesson plan for a moment.

The bag still remained on her seat.

"Umm,"

And based from the redhead's posture, she's not planning on removing it any time soon.

 _'Why is she so rude? I haven't done anything to her.'_

"Your bag." Ashe said, glancing at the black backpack on the stool she's suppose to occupy.

The green-eyed female showed no sign of responding. It's as if Ashe isn't there, speaking to her. Ashe internally frowned, not at all pleased with the somewhat rude behaviour of her seatmate.

 _'Fine, if she's so stubborn...!'_

She reached out and grabbed one of the backpack's straps, and next thing she knew, she found her left wrist in a vice-like grip owned by the redhead.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed lowly.

Ashe was about to cower in fear when she remembered what Sierra had always told her.

 ** _"You're a man! Not a woman!"_**

"I'm removing your bag from my stool."

"Your stool?" The redhead scoffed. "Does it have your name on it?"

"Does it have yours?"

A few gasps emitted from the students around her. In her peripherals, she saw Garen's jaw drop while Lux's eyes widened. Those particular reactions wordless told her that she has done something wrong, and honestly, it made her a tad bit nervous.

The redhead glared before menacingly muttering.

"Your days are numbered here, Avarosa."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The bell rang, signaling the students that the first class is dismissed. Ashe was about to stand up from her stool when her seatmate, Katarina, suddenly hooked her foot around one of its legs and pulled.

Ashe fell off her stool and roughly landed on the floor with a loud thud. She released a grunt of pain. Not because of her fall generally, but because of how she landed on her right wrist.

Katarina noticed it and smirked at her as she stood up from her own stool. She slung her backpack on one shoulder before crouching down to her level.

"You made the wrong enemy."

With that said, Katarina got up and walked away. Ashe watched her leave before she looked down to her right wrist. It hurts.

"You alright?"

Looking up, Ashe found Lux standing in front of her with a concerned look in her eyes. Garen approached her and lifted her off the floor.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm fine. I just, sprained my wrist, that's all."

"Garen, you should take Ashe to the clinic."

"No, no, it's alright. I'm fine." Ashe reassured, shaking her head.

"You sure?"

"It hurts, but I'll live. Don't worry."

After the little 'incident' at Biology class, Ashe didn't see Katarina in her other classes. She first thought that her first subject is the only class she has in common with the redhead, but unfortunately, she discovered that Katarina was just cutting classes.

In every class of hers, the professors either mentioned or muttered about Katarina being a delinquent as always, not attending classes on the first day and all that.

When the last subject was dismissed, she parted from her new friends, Caitlyn and Orianna, after asking them directions on how to get to the school clinic.

Yes, in the end, she couldn't take the pain it was causing her, so she ended up going to the clinic. She had heard one of her new classmates and same time friend, Ezreal, tease her about taking the pain like man.

She so badly wanted to say, _"I'm a girl!"_ But as expected, she didn't.

It didn't take long for her to reach her destination. Her visit at the clinic was brief, actually. As soon as she had gotten there, the school nurse, Akali, bandaged her right wrist immediately and advised her not to move it too much.

Even though her visit at the clinic was brief, her trip back to the parking lot wasn't. Much to her misfortune, she got lost in the huge building she called school.

It took her a whole hour before she managed to find the main entrance again. The school was practically deserted from students. The only rooms that have its lights on are the faculty rooms and the principal's office.

Ashe found the parking lot almost bare, except for her car, a black Ducati and a few cars parked at the teacher's parking area.

She was already beside her car and had just taken her car key out of her blazer's pocket when she was abruptly whirled around and her tie tightened around her neck.

Katarina stood there in front of her, clutching her black tie with one hand.

"Hey there, Avarosa." She greeted with a cocky smirk.

"What is it that you want from me?" She questioned, reflexively and unknowingly using her right hand to try and peel off Katarina's hand from her tie.

"I want you out of here. And that's that."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"You fucking irritated me."

"Wha...-!" Before she could finish, Katarina grabbed her right wrist in a death-like grip. It all happened too fast for Ashe and her brain to keep up.

Her words may have been cut off, but the cry of pain she had released was not.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina's eyes widened when she heard the softest cry of pain she has ever heard in her whole life.

The cry wasn't deep.

It wasn't rough.

It wasn't masculine.

Heck, it was **feminine**!

Katarina let Ashe go and took a step back, watching the Avarosa sink down the ground and clutch her sprained wrist.

"You're...!"

Ashe released a soft whimper while trying to soothe the pain that consumed her wrist, gently massaging it with her free hand.

"Why do you even do this?" Ashe asked her with a pained voice as she raised her head.

Katarina froze as she made eye contact with a pair of tear-filled cerulean eyes.

"You're..."

Disbelief can be seen all over her face. She opened her mouth and found herself whispering her words.

"You're a girl..."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _It's only the second chapter, yet Katarina already knows Ashe's secret. :3_

 _I know, I know, the story is moving waaay too fast! :P Well, can't do anything about it now, since this is already complete. :3_


	3. Chapter 3

**ACT 3**

Ashe so badly wanted to kick herself on the face. First day of school and her secret was found out by the school's bad girl. She knew that first thing in the morning, as soon as she gets to school, all the students and teachers there will know her life-long secret.

 _'What would Sierra say? What will she do when she finds out I failed to keep my secret?'_ She thought as she exited the bathroom, dressed in nothing but a pair of men's briefs. She usually wears briefs when she sleeps since she's more comfortable with it. Right now, she doesn't even have a shirt on, let alone a bra.

Even though her body had already developed, Sierra doesn't permit her to wear even women's underwear. She doesn't even own a single bra. She grew up completely used to the feeling of wearing the loose undergarments and a chest that's alqays constricted.

Ashe fell on her bed and looked up to the white ceiling of the room. She loudly sighed as she rubbed her face in a tired manner.

"Maybe I should go back to being home-schooled." She muttered to herself.

Earlier, after Katarina had said those three words, she got off the ground and quickly unlocked her car and got in, and as soon as she was inside the vehicle, she drove off before Katarina could even stop her.

 _'Tomorrow's another day...'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The second day of school came and surprisingly, she didn't meet Katarina in any of her subjects. And to add more to her surprise, no one knew about her true gender. Everyone still treated her as if she's a boy. A few girls with crushes towards her were her confirmation earlier.

Her last subject, which is P.E. had just finished and since the school coach made them run laps around the campus, she's as tired and sweaty as hell. The students already went back to the gym and the girls headed straight to the female's shower room, while the boys went to the male's shower room.

Ashe stayed behind and sat on one of the benches near the basketball court. She didn't really want to go home smelling like how she is right now and besides, she has time to kill.

Finally, when every student at the shower room were gone, Ashe finally entered the female's shower room. Putting her bag on one of the benches, she started undressing herself.

First to go were her shoes and shocks. Next were her pants, then shirt. Now, she's only left in a pair white boxers and her bandaged chest.

"Yeah, I saw him enter here!" A voice sounded outside.

Panicking, Ashe quickly dressed herself up again. Just in time, because two students came in the shower room. When she turned to face whoever had entered, her eyes widened when she found Darius and Draven.

"Well, well, well," Darius crossed his arms. "If it isn't Heartthrob Ashe."

"H-Heartthrob Ashe? Me?" Ashe asked, pointing to herself.

"We never pegged you to be the pervert type of guy." Draven said, grinning.

"What do you want?" She asked, her nervousness increasing every passing second.

"We're here to beat you up, what else would we want from you?"

Ashe's eyes widened. She found herself stepping back until her back had hit the lockers behind her, notifying her that she has been trapped.

"I'll take first punch." Darius walked up to her, cornering her. "This one is for actually thinking you'd survive here."

Darius punched her on the stomach. Ashe bent over as she held her stomach, pain entering her whole system. She was out of breath in just a second, ths hit being the sole reason why all of her air supply was knocked out.

Following Darius' strike, Draven punched her on the cheek, which made her fall to the floor.

"And _that's_ for messing with Katarina!"

 _'Don't scream, don't scream.'_ She chanted over and over in her head. She can't afford having these two know her true gender.

"We don't care about Katarina, but she's part of our group." Darius crouched down and smirked at her. "And no one messes with us."

Darius pulled back and was about to punch her again when...!

"What are you two doing?"

Ashe and the other two snapped their gazes to the entrance of the room, and there, they found Katarina, glaring murderously at the two brothers.

"We were just teaching this guy some manners, ya know? He did embarrass you yesterday, so we're beating him up for you, so we deserve a _'thank you'_ after this." Draven replied with an arrogant look.

"Get out!"

The two stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"I said," Katarina grabbed the back of their blazer's collars and surprisingly threw them out of the room strength that can rival Garen's. "Get out!"

Ashe watched as Draven scrambled to his feet and ran off, while Darius grunted and cursed at Katarina before following his younger brother.

...

...

...

...

...

Silence consumed the two of them and emerald eyes met cerulean ones wordlessly.

"Umm..."

Katarina walked up to her, and shockingly, offered a hand.

Ashe found herself staring at the said hand, half of her mind still surprised at the assistance being offered to her.

"Come on." The redhead grunted, making Ashe abruptly accept the outstretched hand and letting Katarina pull her up to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She murmured, brushing her hair away from her face.

"You don't need to deepen your voice. I know you're a girl, remember?"

Ashe lightly blushed. "Right."

Katarina raised an eyebrow. "You even blush like a girl."

"That's because I am one!" She heard herself shouting at Katarina.

The Du Couteau quirked an eyebrow at her action, but she could care less in that moment. She was too absorbed in the fact that she had actually said that.

 _'Wow... That actually felt good! I felt so... free!'_

"Whatever," Katarina pushed her towards the direction of the showers. "Go take your shower and we'll talk about how you're going to repay me later."

Ashe snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Katarina in confusion, eyebrows furrowing.

"Repay you?"

"I _did_ save you from those two idiots, didn't I?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe carefully bandaged her chest. As much as she can, she's trying to prolong the time she still has before she needs to go out of the shower room and speak with Katarina.

 _'What would she want from me now?'_

After she finished bandaging herself, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a white shirt and a black jacket-like vest. She slipped her clothes on before exiting the shower room, bag slung over her left shoulder.

When she exited the shower room, she found Katarina leaning against the wall beside the entrance of the boys' shower room.

"Great, you're done." Katarina stood straight and ushered her to follow. "Let's discuss your payment."

Ashe quietly followed, walking alongside the redhead for a few minutes in silence. They had just exited the gym when Katarina started talking.

"Now, since I saved your sorry ass and kept your stupid secret, you'll have to pay me back."

"As in, literally pay you back?" She asked, hoping Katarina would say yes. If it's money Katarina wants, Ashe will have no problem in giving it to her.

"No, you idiot." Katarina spun around and practically glared thousands of daggers at her, making her freeze on the spot.

"Umm..."

"I thought of a way you can repay me and you better accept it."

"It sounds like I don't even have a choice but to do so." She muttered, scratching the back of her head.

"Exactly."

 _'If this is how an ordinary everyday student's life goes in an actual school, I'm starting to love home-schooling more.'_

"How do I repay you, then?"

Katarina smirked.

"You have to pretend to be my boyfriend for three months."

Ashe's eyes widened. She even had to stop her jaw from slacking as Katarina's words registered in her brain.

"Of all the things I could do to repay you, why _that_ one?" She found herself asking, her voice coated with disbelief.

"My father's been annoying the hell out of me by encouraging me to get a boyfriend. To end all that, I need you to pose as one for a while."

"But I'm not even your boyfriend! Let alone a boy!"

"But," Katarina raised a finger. "You already have the reputation of being the _'perfect guy'_ here and is Valoran University's heartthrob, which adds more bonus for me to tell my father. You even beat Jayce Mercury's appeal."

"Why not ask him, then? He's a real boy."

"First of all, he's a douchebag. Second, he's too head over heels for Vi, who is already in a relationship with a girl."

"Why can't you just tell your father that you don't want a boyfriend?" Ashe questioned, looking somewhat stressed now.

"I don't **want** a boyfriend!"

"And why not?"

Katarina glared angrily.

"Because I don't like men!"

...

...

...

...

...

...

Katarina turned away, a frustrated look on her face and fists clenched tightly.

"Never mind. Forget that I told you anything."

"Hey, wait...-!"

Katarina ran off and was gone in flash, leaving Ashe alone to stare at an empty hallway and feeling a twinge of guilt within her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Lying down on her bed, Ashe found herself staring at her bedroom's ceiling once again. At the first day of school, her secret was found out by the meanest girl of VU.

At the second day, she almost got beaten to a pulp, was saved by the resident bad girl, was asked to be the pretend boyfriend of the said girl, found out that the Du Couteau doesn't like men and finally, was left to her own thoughts in the end.

Ashe released a loud exasperated sigh.

 _'It seemed like a few days ago, I was so excited in being enrolled in a school.'_

...

...

...

"It **was** a few days ago!" She shouted to herself as she sat up, venting her stress at her hair, which she started ruffling up with her hands. When her hair was finally a mess of knotted white locks, she flopped back down on her bed.

"What do I do?" Again, she spoke to herself. Obviously, she didn't have someone with her, so might as well.

 _'She did save you.'_ A voice identical to her, which she assumed, is her conscience, told her. She frowned at the reasoning her conscience gave her.

"Yeah, but..."

 _'She also kept your secret.'_

Again, she let out an exasperated sigh. She's beginning to think that her conscience may be siding with Katarina rather herself.

"I hate my conscience."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

It was raining hard today and Ashe had received a text from her homeroom teacher that school has been suspended due to a few leaks that had appeared out of nowhere all over school. She also received the same text messages from Lux and Orianna, which fully confirmed that school is indeed suspended for today.

Ashe got off the couch and made her way to the kitchen, planning on getting more to replace the ice, which had already melted, in her ice pack. The punch Draven had given her made her cheek bruise, like she had expected, so she had to put an ice pack on her right cheek.

After replacing the ice in the pack, she returned a now water-filled ice tray back to the freezer... Just in time for her stomach to growl lowly.

 _'Oh, right, I haven't eaten lunch yet.'_

She thought about cooking something, but she felt too lazy right now.

"I'll just go buy something." She murmured.

Since she's already wearing a football jersey and pair of baggy shorts that's clearly for men, she merely slipped a pair of basketball shoes on and shrugged a warm loose jacket before leaving her apartment.

She drove through the rain with ease, since there weren't that much cars outside due to the gloomy weather. Currently, she's idling with a few cars behind a red stoplight. While, waiting, she settlsd on inspecting her surroundings out of boredom. Wiping the moist that has formed on her window at her left, her eyes could onky widen in surprise at the sight she saw.

There, at the bus stop bench, Katarina Du Couteau sat with her head bowed down and in her hands, wearing a set of leather clothes that clearly doesn't fit the cold weather.

"What is she doing under the rain?"

The stoplight now showed the color green and the cars behind her were honking at her, probably cursing her from inside their vehicles. She was suppose to drive off, but her conscience wouldn't let her.

Instead, she stepped on the accelerator and drove her car to the side, parking it beside the sidewalk. She pushed the idle button before she exited it, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head as she left her vehicle.

Ashe approached the bench and stood in front of Katarina, but the other didn't seem to notice her since her head remained bowed down. Based from Katarina's appearances, it looks like she's already soaked to the bone.

"Hey," She called out.

Katarina didn't move.

"You can't stay here."

Not even a syllable of a response.

Ashe sighed, rubbing her nape for a moment. Shrugging off her coat, she held the sides of it and swung it around. As soon as her thick and warm jacket draped around and over Katarina's body and head, said female finally looked up.

For a moment, they both merely stared into each other's eyes, both not even flinching from each other's gaze. When the weather became too cold for Ashe's comfort, she decided to put an end to their staring contest.

"How long have you been out here?"

Katarina stared, showing no signs of replying, which made her sigh.

"Well, if you're going to stay here, then keep my jacket. You need it more than I do."

Ashe turned to walk back to her car when she felt a hand tug at the back of her already-soaked jersey. Looking over her shoulder, she found one of Katarina's hands holding the hem of her jersey, staring at her with those emerald orbs.

"Sit with me." Katarina whispered.

Despite the pouring rain, she had heard it, surprisingly. When she made a move to sit on the vacant space of bench, Katarina dropped her hold on her jersey.

"I haven't been keeping track of the time." Katarina abruptly said, making her realize that she had just answered her question earlier.

"Why are you even sitting here? There are dozens of places for you to sit at, but you chose to sit here on a bus stop bench without a shade. You don't even have a jacket."

"Yes, I do."

"Your leather jacket, that's actually cropped, does **not** count." She retorted, crossing her arms as she gave Katarina a look.

"Whatever."

Silence.

...

...

...

"Achoo!"

Ashe almost jumped in surprise when Katarina abruptly sneezed. She stood up and offered a hand to Katarina, who in return, looked at her with a _'what am I going to do with that?'_ look.

"You're going to get sick if you stay under the rain longer than you already have." She reasoned. "Come."

Katarina stared at her for a few seconds before, much to her surprise, accepting the hand she offered. As soon as Katarina was standing up, the redhead practically yanked her hand away from her own.

"You're colder than the weather itself." She heard Katarina mutter.

"Sorry, poor circulation." Ashe apologized in a somewhat sheepish manner.

She led Katarina to her car and made sure she got in first, opening the door of the front passenger seat for her in the process, which earned her a _'you are very weird, why are you doing this?'_ look that she either ignored or didn't notice. After doing so, she went around and boarded the vehicle through the driver's door.

They were on their way back to her house in no time.

 _'It looks like I'll be cooking, after all.'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Now that I'm uploading this here, I just realized that my first chapters are shorter than I remember. XD Oh, well! What's done is done. :3_


	4. Chapter 4

**ACT 4**

Katarina tugged on Ashe's jacket, wrapping herself tighter with the warm clothing, while Ashe unlocked her apartment. She could smell the scent of peppermint from the jacket and she found it oddly soothing.

Ashe opened the front door and ushered her in, so she silently complied and walked into the apartment unit. She had to ask herself though.

 _'Why did I go with her in the first place? I'm pretty sure it's not because of her jacket.'_

"Listen, the bedroom is down that hall," Ashe said, pointing at the hall at her left. "You can take a bath at the bathroom there."

"Hmm." She turned and headed down the hall.

"I'll lend some dry clothes for you once you finish."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Leaving her drenched clothes at the bathroom, she exited the bathroom and stepped back into Ashe's bedroom. She wore nothing but a fluffy towel Ashe had given to her earlier.

When she walked into the room, she found a complete set of clothes waiting for her on the covered bed. She approached it and scanned the clothing, noting that all of them are men's clothes.

 _'Doesn't she have any clothes that are actually for women?'_

Seeing that not single piece of undergarment is present on the bed, she decided to go commando. She put the jean shorts on and the grey shirt and slipped on the pair of slippers beside the bed before leaving the bedroom.

As soon as she had pulled the door open, she caught a nice whiff of the smell of chicken. She walked down the hall and entered the kitchen, where she found Ashe just finishing on filling one glass bowl with chicken soup.

The Avarosa's mildly messy and damp snow white hair is all tied up in a high but sloppy ponytail. She also took notice of Ashe's clothes, since said female hasn't changed clothing. The football jersey and her shorts were still quite damp from the looks of it.

"Here," Ashe carefully pushed and slid the bowl across kitchen island. "Eat this."

Wordlessly, Katarina accepted the spoon Ashe handed her, then started eating the soup, which, by the way, was just utterly delicious, in her opinion. But of course she won't tell Ashe that.

While she ate, she spotted Ashe from her peripheral vision, heading off to the exit leading to the bedroom. She swallowed the spoonful of soup she had eaten before speaking.

"Gonna take a bath?"

Ashe shook her head. "Did you leave your clothes at the bathroom?"

She nodded.

"Alright, I'll go wash them. Excuse me."

Katarina watched as Ashe left the kitchen before focusing her attention back to her warm and delicious meal.

"Achoo!"

In surprise, she snapped her head upward. Just in time in seeing Ashe wiping her nose.

"Staying in those clothes will make you sick." She heard herself commenting.

Ashe was already standing in the middle of the hall, yet she heard her and just waved a dismissive hand.

"It's just the dust."

"Whatever."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina now sat on the soft, and not to mention comfortable, couch at Ashe's apartment living room, channel-surfing while she waited for the Avarosa to finish whatever it is she's doing right now.

It took at least a few more channel-switching before Ashe finally came back, and based from her current looks, she had already changed out of her damp clothes from earlier.

"Took a bath?"

"Just a quick showe...-achoo!"

Katarina raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're good?"

"Like I said," Ashe spoke through the towel she used to wipe her nose. "It's just the dust."

"Whatever you say, Avarosa."

Ashe walked towards her and she can't help but look at the Avarosa's body. Whatever was restraining the female's chest is gone now, and Katarina can see how... well-endowed Ashe is at her chest area.

Actually, now that she audited the other female's form, she can actually say that Ashe is purely blessed. She has a slim body, a beautiful face, flawless and pale skin, those soft cerulean eyes, a very generous bust and...

"That ass..."

Ashe, who was bending down to pick up her towel that she had dropped, looked over her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

Katarina's face grew warm and she instantly looked away and used her red hair as a shield from Ashe's curious eyes. She seriously did not mean to voice it out, and she feels very stupid because she just did so.

"It, It was nothing." She muttered, hoping her uncharacteristic blush would disappear.

She felt the weight of the white couch shift, so she assumed Ashe must have already situated herself beside her. When she turned back to Ashe, her blush was gone.

"Listen," She patiently watched Ashe, who currently looked a tad bit nervous. "Umm, about my payment to you..."

She raised an eyebrow, instantly knowing what Ashe is describing.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

After much thinking while she was doing Katarina's laundry, Ashe finally came to the decision in repaying Katarina for everything that she had done for her.

 _'It's probably the least I could do.'_ She had thought.

"Your payment?" Katarina asked her.

"Yes," She nodded. "My mother had always taught me to be a gentleman, and I guess not repaying you for what you've done for me is counted as an act a gentleman wouldn't do."

"You're a girl." She heard Katarina say in an 'are you stupid' tone.

"I am, but I was raised to be a boy, so..." Ashe let her answer trail off.

"What kind of mother does that?"

"Actually, my real mother's dead. It's my stepmother who raised me like this."

Ashe took a peek to see Katarina, since the redhead didn't utter a word, or at least a syllable, at all. She found Katarina with an apathetic expression. Seeing that the Du Couteau doesn't give a damn about what she said, she decided to return to the original topic.

"You said you just need me to pretend as your boyfriend, right?"

"I told you, forget about it. It's a stupid...-!"

"I accept."

Katarina stopped talking and gave her a look.

"I'm not playing games here, Avarosa." Katarina growled. "If this is a joke, I suggest you stop playing with fire."

"As a gentleman, I should fulfill a lady's request." She replied, but she then muttered a little joke. "I'm cold, so I'll survive the flames."

"What?" Katarina questioned, not really catching her muttered words.

Ashe blushed and waved her hands in front of. "It's nothing. Nothing at all."

 _'I guess she's not the joking type of girl.'_ She thought, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Katarina crossed her arms in front of her. "This deal will only end after three months. After that, we go our separate ways and never see each other again. Understood?"

She nodded, agreeing with Katarina's terms.

"Alright then,"

Ashe's face became almost as red as Katarina's hair as said girl suddenly leaned towards her and hovered her face just a few inches from her own.

She opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly lost her words when Katarina abruptly gave her cheek a quick kiss. After doing so, Katarina pulled away and sat back down to her place, smirking when she saw her blushing madly.

"You better get used to that, _Ashe_." Her blush became more pronounced when Katarina put so much emphasis in pronouncing her name.

"What...-! What do you mean by that?" She asked, now feeling fully embarrassed.

"We're going to do more than just a that little innocent act."

For the first time in her life, she feels like her poor circulation was regulated in that moment, due to the fact that her face felt so warm.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

She finally calmed down from her blushing frenzy and is now discussing the 'rules' of their 'relationship' and the 'mechanics' of how it will go.

" **Rule number one,** " Katarina raised one finger. "You can't touch me sexually."

"I never planned to." She automatically replied.

"What, am I too ugly for you?" Katarina narrowed her eyes at her, suddenly trailing off topic.

"What? No! It's just that, I was raised to be a gentleman, and a true gentleman does not do such a thing to a lady, especially when the lady didn't give him permission to do so."

Katarina rolled her eyes at her. "You're more of a gentleman than my brother."

Ashe opened her mouth to ask about the mentioned sibling, but Katarina started speaking again, giving her no chance to ask and sate her small curiosity.

" **Rule number two** ," The middle finger joined the index finger. "When you greet or say goodbye to me, a kiss on the cheek or forehead will suffice. This rule's a must, since some people might get suspicious if you were to just wave at me or something like that."

She nodded again, understanding Katarina's point.

" **Rule number three,** " Another finger was raised. "Under no circumstances, flirt with another girl, **or** man. I don't want to hear my _'boyfriend'_ being a playboy, or being referred to as a gay guy."

"I'll do no such thing, I assure you." She replied, sounding very confident... before she added in a quiet murmur. "I don't even know my preference yet."

"Well, you can explore that part of your life after the deal's done." Katarina stated, obviously hearing what she had murmured.

"Are those all the rules?"

Katarina nodded, looking sure. "For now, it is."

She nodded as well before standing up. "I'm sure the dryer has already dried your clothes. I'll go get it."

"Hmm."

Ashe excused herself before leaving the living room, the rules given to her still being processed in her brain.

"Hey! Wait! I thought of another rule!"

Ashe turned around and headed back to the living room. She stood at the doorway and looked at Katarina expectantly, patiently waiting for her to say the fourth and new rule she had recently thought of.

" **Rule number four** , this relationship will _never_ have any feelings involved."

"Understood."

"Oh, and I expect a gift from you every monthsary of ours."

Ashe's eyebrows furrowed. "Monthsary?"

"Yes, it's a small occasion where you and I _'celebrate'_ our relationship every month."

"But we're not even in an official relationship."

"Do you want people to suspect that you and I aren't in a relationship because you don't give gifts to me? They will start asking questions, investigate and who knows... They might discover you're a girl."

She frowned. "But...!"

"And, a true gentleman respects a lady's wishes." Katarina swiftly cut off.

Her shoulders slackened in defeat. "Fine, I'll get you a gift every month."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

After getting dressed back into her own clothes, Katarina left Ashe's apartment, rudely declining Ashe's offer for a ride, and hailed a cab to get back home, which Ashe had paid in advance before she could stop her.

Katarina crossed her legs and her arms as she leaned back, ignoring the presence of the cab driver as she started thinking about her new 'relationship status' and her new 'boyfriend'.

She really thought Ashe is the perfect _'boyfriend'_. Why?

First of all, Ashe is a girl, which suits her taste at least.

Second, she's so naive. Therefore, she is _very_ easy to manipulate.

Third, she has a _'man'_ that she can just call and do stuff for her without any questions being asked.

 _'Like a personal slave.'_ She thought with a smirk she held back earlier.

Lastly, she gets something free out of it.

Yes, she may be rich, but wouldn't it be nice to exploit the things the Avarosa can give her. Katarina's evil and devious, and she knows that very well. She's quite proud of herself, truth be told.

This deal of theirs will benefit her greatly. Not only because of the free gifts, no, that was just a nice added bonus. Her greatest benefit here is that it will finally stop her father's ranting about her not being in a relationship with a boy.

This plan is full-proof.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Fourth day of school had come. Ashe slid her Porsche to a park before turning off the engine and exiting the car. She's still somewhat absorbed in her thoughts right now, since this is the first day of her being in a 'relationship' with Katarina.

Too absorbed that she didn't notice a girl she bumped into, and said girl ended up dropping her books on the dirt.

"Oh, I'm, I'm sorry," Ashe quickly apologized, swiftly crouching down and picking up the books the girl had dropped.

"No, don't worry, it's alright."

After picking the three books up, she stood back to her full height and faced the girl. She instantly met a pair of steel grey eyes that she did not expect to see.

"Again, I'm sorry." She apologized for the second time, managing to steel herself from blushing as she gave the books to the girl.

The girl in front of her, who possessed grey and silver-like hair waved a hand, a small understanding smile on her face.

"Like I said, it's alright."

"Oh, umm, I'm Ashe," She held out a hand.

The girl shook her hand. "I'm Riven. It's really nice to meet you."

She chuckled. "I could say the same."

"I actually think bumping into you can be considered to be a blessing rather than a nuisance."

"How so?"

Riven's cheeks mildly colored. "You look really handsome."

Now it's Ashe's turn to lightly blush. "Thanks."

She took this brief opportunity to audit Riven, and honestly, she looks quite beautiful.

"You're not so bad yourself."

Riven looked away and tried hiding her blush. She cleared her throat before turning back to her. "You're the transferee, right?"

Ashe nodded. "I am."

"Well, do you need someone to show you around? Help you explore?"

"Actually, yeah, I do."

Riven smiled.

"I volunteer to be your tour guide, then."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

She's been sneezing a lot lately, and Riven had asked her earlier if she's okay. Of course her answer was that she's fine and it must be just the dust again. Riven seemed to have believed her.

Ashe waved goodbye to Riven before walking inside Biology class. She instantly spotted Katarina occupying the stool beside her own, forehead perched on one hand while she tapped her fingers on the table with one hand.

She saw the pair of red and black earphones plugged inside her ears, so she assumed that her 'girlfriend' must be listening to music.

While she made her way to their table, the girls she passed from the other tables waved at her and some murmured their good mornings to her. Being polite and being raised as a gentleman, she greeted them back with a smile the girls found charmingly attractive.

As she walked past them, she heard a few bits of their murmurs.

 ** _"Do you think it's true?"_**

 ** _"Are they really together?"_**

 ** _"Impossible! She's not his type, right?"_**

 ** _"What if it's true? Oh no!"_**

Ashe felt a bit confused with the hushed murnurs and chatters fhat originated from the students. _'What are they talking about?'_

When she was just one table away from Katarina, she suddenly remembered rule number two.

 _'She did say a kiss on the cheek or forehead will be enough.'_

Finally, she arrived at their table, pulled her stool out of the way and leaned towards Katarina. As soon as her cold but soft lips touched the redhead's cheek...

Katarina, whose eyes were closed, abruptly jumped and fell off her stool.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _I cringe at my short chapters, damn it! 😱_


	5. Chapter 5

**ACT 5**

Katarina accepted Ashe's offered hand and rubbed her mildly sore backside for a moment. After finishing on soothing the small pain, she turned to Ashe and had to resist on glaring at her 'boyfriend'.

"What the fuck was that for?" She gritted lowly, too low for anyone to hear.

Ashe looked at her like she was crazy. "You did say rule number two is a must, so I kissed you."

She used all her self-control in not shouting, and maybe strangling, the Avarosa right now. Honestly, the students are the ones that are mostly responsible for Katarina being able to hold herself from choking Ashe.

"Whatever." She settled on that before turning to her fallen stool.

"I got it." Ashe said, grabbing the stool and placing it back on its rightful place.

She grunted her thanks in a low volume, occupying her stool again once it was back on its legs. She shoved her earphones and music player back into her backpack, while Ashe seated herself on her own stool. When she finished cleaning her gadgets off the table, she noticed that their classmates stared at them while they gossiped.

"Give me your hand." She muttered lowly.

"What?"

She glared at her briefly, repeating her order. "Give me your hand."

Ashe was confused, but thankfully, she obeyed and turned her right hand, which is on the table, over. Now, her palm faced upward. Without any warning, Katarina reached for it and entwined her own hand with Ashe's.

The Avarosa blushed lightly, but didn't utter an objection. If she were to do so, Katarina won't hesitate to crush her pale and not to mention, cold, hand right now.

Lux and Garen entered the classroom, and Katarina's grip around Ashe's hand tightened. She remembered the time when Garen had punched Talon because her brother was accused in sexually harassing Lux. In the end, they discovered that Teemo was the one responsible for it.

But of course, Garen is too prideful to apologize to Talon. Thus, Katarina's hatred towards the high-hat Crownguard family grew and grew until she can say that she despised them. The family rivalry didn't matter to her at first, but now, she can clearly see why there's even a rivalry in the first place.

Lux's mouth formed into an 'O' shape while Garen looked at them, especially their locked hands, with sheer shock.

"Umm, uh, hi," Lux waved uneasily at Ashe, and she glared warningly.

Lux avoided her glare and leaned close to Ashe, whispering a few words she couldn't understand. Annoyed that she couldn't properly understand what the blonde is saying, Katarina aggressively tugged on Ashe's hand and arm. Ashe was pulled back and Katarina swiftly let her hand go and wound her arms around Ashe's chest from behind.

She perched her chin on Ashe's shoulder and glared menacingly at Lux, who now took a step away and raised both hands in front as a form of surrender.

"Umm, Katarina?" Ashe called in a whisper, her head currently just beside Katarina's own.

"If you have something to say to Ashe, you can say it to the two of us." She stated harshly. "After all, we keep no secret from each other."

"Oh, umm," Lux cleared her throat and pulled smoothened the front of her uniform, not wanting to look intimidated by her. "I was just asking Ashe if the rumors are true."

Katarina quirked an eyebrow. "And what are those rumors?"

"Word is going around that you and Ashe are in relationship, so I merely wanted to confirm the information from Ashe himself."

"Listen, Lux," Ashe began. "The rumors are true. Katarina and I are in a relationship."

"I see. Well," Lux turned her gaze back to Katarina. "That's that, Du Couteau. Was it that hard to let your boyfriend talk to me? Afraid he'll fall in love with me?"

Katarina glared and let Ashe pull away from her. Ashe arranged herself on her stool and straightened her own tie.

"Don't mock me, Crownguard." Katarina warned Lux, glaring in a deadly manner.

"Ashe, of all the girls in the school, why _her_?" Lux asked as if it was **THAT** bad in being in a relationship with her.

Katarina wanted to lunge at Lux and was already planning to do so, but Ashe suddenly took her left hand and locked fingers with her once again. To add more to her surprise, Ashe brought her hand up to her lips and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"I assure you, Lux, I'm quite happy with her."

Lux looked like she thought about what Ashe had said before she nodded. "Well, it's your life, and heart, I guess."

Ashe smiled and nodded. Lux waved to her and excused herself, walking towards hers and Garen's table. When Lux finally turned Garen's frozen stare away from them, Ashe turned to her and gave her a look.

"What are you looking at?" She questioned, directing a much less deadly glare at her 'boyfriend'.

"Seriously, Katarina. You have to keep your anger under control." Ashe told her, sounding like a father scolding his child.

Instead of staying on topic, Katarina changed it by saying, "I can't really get used to you using that _'boy voice'_ of yours. Especially since I've already heard of your real one."

Ashe resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her. "Never mind."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Biology class has ended and now, they're on their way to their next class. As everybody expected, Katarina and Ashe walked down the halls of Valoran University with their hands intertwined with each other.

 _'I knew this plan would work.'_

Since Katarina is quite known in being associated with a few gangs in the poor part of Valoran University, the other female students didn't have the guts in flirting with Ashe now, especially now that the Avarosa is 'in a relationship' with the Du Couteau herself.

Ashe herself thinks this is one of the perks in their little pretend romance, which she welcomed, since she's quite tired in declining 'friendly invites' from the other females in school.

"Where's our next class again?" Ashe asked Katarina, looking around as she did so.

She rolled her eyes at Ashe's lack of sense of direction. Knowing she and Ashe actually have an identical time table and subjects, she fully knew what and where their classes are.

"It's English Literature." She muttered. "It's at the second floor, room 201."

"Do you know where that is?"

She shot Ashe a look. "Seriously?"

"I'm a transferee here, and I haven't had the chance to explore the campus thoroughly."

"Fine, I'll lead."

She walked with an increase in their pace. She didn't have to pull Ashe, since the other managed to keep up with her pace.

"You should have someone tour you around school." She muttered.

Surprisingly, Ashe heard her.

"Actually, someone was nice to me earlier and offered to tour me around school."

Katarina stopped and practically shoved her face against Ashe's own, leaving just a teeny-tiny bit of space from each other.

"Who?"

"Her name's Riven, and she was very nice to me this early morning." Ashe answered, sounding quite proud of her answer. "She's actually the person who helped me get to Biology class without being late."

"Hmph." Katarina turned away and tugged on Ashe's hand again. "Whatever. If you want to hang around with that Raven girl, I don't give a fuck."

Ashe frowned, while she let herself be dragged around. "First of all, her name's **Riven**. Second, do you really have to use _that_ kind of language?"

"Everybody curses." Katarina answered, pulling Ashe up the stairs.

"Not me."

She stopped when they got to the top of the stairs and turned to Ashe, raising an eyebrow and wearing a look that clearly showed that she didn't believe Ashe's answer.

"Like I'd believe that."

"I'm telling the truth. I haven't cursed in my whole life."

...

...

...

...

...

 ** _STOMP!_**

"Ah!" Ashe yelped and tugged her hand away from Katarina, clutching her shoe-covered right foot while she hopped around on one leg. " **Fudge!** "

Katarina wanted to bang Ashe's head against the wall and run her over with her Ducati over and over again.

"Who the hell substitutes _'fuck'_ with _'fudge'_ these days!?" She found herself yelling at Ashe. "You're in college! **Not** kindergarten!"

"That's still not enough of a reason for me to curse." Ashe muttered, still clutching her now sore right foot.

"Don't tell me you don't even say _'damn'_."

"I don't."

"Have you even shouted at a girl before? Please tell me you've been rude to someone before you've met me." Katarina sarcastically _'pleaded'_ , crossing her arms in front of her.

"Why would I?" Ashe asked, setting her foot down the floor.

"Fuck."

Ashe frowned.

"Shit."

"Stop that." Ashe said.

"Damn."

"You are being immature."

"Douchebag."

Ashe sighed.

"Bitch."

 ** _Tap!_**

Katarina touched her lips with her fingertips before directing her gaze to Ashe to look at her with disbelief and mild shock.

"Did you just slap my lips with your hand?"

"Stop swearing. It's unlady-like." Ashe said with a scolding look. "Also, I did not slap you. I merely _tapped_ my fingers on your lips to halt your cussing."

"What, it's not like your fingertips have magical powers that can stop me from cursing!"

"Watch me."

Katarina felt like she was just challenged.

"Fu...-!"

 _ **Tap!**_

"Stop that."

Katarina glared.

"You suc...-!"

 ** _Tap!_**

"Stop."

Katarina was getting irritated.

"Bit...-!"

 ** _Tap!_**

She gave Ashe an _'I dare you to stop me this time'_ look before opening her mouth that.

"Shi...-Will you **stop** it already!?" She shouted, grabbing and intercepting Ashe's hand before it could make contact with her lips.

"Then, will you stop swearing?"

"Fucking hell! Fine!"

 ** _Tap!_**

Oh, how Katarina wanted to strangle Ashe right now.

"You are the first person I've met that use curse words on a daily basis."

"Am I the first of everything for you!? Am I the first to curse at you!?" She mildly freaked, now feeling frustrated.

"You're the first person I've ever held hands with."

Katarina stared blankly, abruptly falling as silent as a stone statue. But inside, she could feel her heart skip a beat for a moment. She was suddenly a mess. Katarina didn't know if she was seriously going to choke the living daylight out of Ashe or yell at her for saying 'random' and 'senseless' things.

In the end, she had to stop her face from growing warm and showing off a pink hue.

"You know what, come on. We're going to be late."

She grabbed one of Ashe's hands and tugged her towards their classroom, not really wanting to deal with the matters that she thinks that are nonsense to her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Entering their next class, Katarina's form was suddenly pulled back to the doorway and she instantly felt Ashe's breath against her left ear.

"Is that normal here?"

Katarina followed the direction where Ashe currently gazed at and found the source of Ashe's curiosity.

There, at the table in front of their own, is Vi, one of VU's major troublemakers, making out with one of the most uptight and spoilsport in VU, Caitlyn, who is currently perched on the table.

 _'Trust Vi to loosen that aristocratic chick's panties.'_

Katarina sighed and shook her head. "No, that's not normal."

"Then, why are they doing it?" Ashe asked. "With people around them, nonetheless."

"It's because Vi is horny and Caitlyn's her bitch. The end."

"Don't make me tap your lips again." Ashe warned her, but she didn't sound threatening.

She rolled her eyes and gave Ashe a look. "Oh, I'm so scared of your fingers. I'm so scared, that I think I'm going to shi...-!"

 ** _Tap!_**

She tugged Ashe close to her, a few inches between their faces. Her anger-filled emerald eyes glared directly into Ashe's calm and not at all threatened cerulean ones.

"Tap my lips again, and I will fuc...-!"

 ** _Tap!_**

Ashe is truly testing her patience. Instead of finally bursting her cap off, Katarina roughly pulled her 'lover' to their table, making Ashe stumble from the sudden yank she did.

"Keep it in your pants, Vi." She commented as they passed the pair's table.

Vi stopped and pulled away from Caitlyn, turning her head to look at her. The pinkette raised an eyebrow at her, especially since her gaze landed on their entwined hands.

"Looks like you found yourself your own make-out buddy." Vi teased, smirking at them while she took half a step back as Caitlyn got off their table.

"Don't start now, Vi." Caitlyn said, sitting down on her respective seat.

"Then don't stop now, Cupcake! We were just getting to the good part!" Vi whined, while said female just fixed her hair and cleaned her smudged lipstick.

After making herself perfectly presentable, Caitlyn spun halfway around to look at the table behind them, which is where Ashe and Katarina have situated themselves.

"Four days here, and you're already in a relationship." Caitlyn said to Ashe, chuckling. "It seems that the rumors _are_ true."

"It is." Ashe replied, flashing a small smile at Caitlyn.

"It's true, so fu...-!" Katarina stopped Ashe's incoming hand.

"...-Lay off. You have your own girlfriend right there." Katarina gritted out to Caitlyn before she turned her head to Ashe and directed her glare at her.

 _'How many times have I glared at Ashe today?'_

Caitlyn looked amused with the scene they unintentionally gave, nonetheless, Katarina would have to stop Ashe's 'scolding taps' before she explodes and kills Ashe right then and there.

"You don't need to be so possessive of your boyfriend, ya know." Vi said, not really noticing their little display. "Caitlyn's with me, you're with Ashe. Let's leave it at that, yeah?"

"Can you two just mind your own business and leave us alone?"

Vi and Caitlyn turned away from them, and not that much moments have passed before Ashe spoke to her.

"Why do you even glare at everyone? It's not like we're in a real relationship, which rules out the possibility of you becoming jealous."

She turned her head to her 'boyfriend' and lightly glared at her. "Remember **rule number three**?"

"If I remember correctly, rule number three states that I cannot interact with anyone in a romantic manner."

"Precisely."

"Then, why are you being rude to Caitlyn and Vi? I wasn't interacting with them romantically."

Katarina found herself out of excuses.

And it made her angry.

To be truly honest, Katarina wanted Ashe for herself and herself only. She didn't know why though, but she assumed it's because Ashe is 'hers' right now. And for her, Ashe doesn't really have the right to question her. After all, she's supposed to be her submissive 'boyfriend'.

 _'Am I really this possessive over my own boyfriend? And a **pretend** one at that.'_

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she turned away from Ashe. She pulled her earphones and music player out of her bag and drowned the whole world with music, ignoring the fact that their teacher has arrived.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe felt that she is to blame for Katarina's sudden coldness, so she decided after their current class, she's going to apologize to Katarina. She thinks she may have crossed a line that she should never have crossed.

 _'Maybe I had gone too far with my scolding.'_ Ashe thought, deeply in thought for a brief moment.

 ** _"A true gentleman does not leave a lady with a frown on her face."_** Sierra had once told her.

She looked at Katarina.

 _'Well, I guess a scowl can be considered a frown in one way or another.'_

 ** _Riiing!_**

Katarina made a move to stand up and walk out, probably planning on leaving her alone until recess is over.

"Katarina, wait,"

Ashe stood up, reached out and managed to grab the one of the sleeves of Katarina's blazer. The redhead turned to her and glared at her yet again.

"What is it now, Avarosa?"

 _'She must really be mad at me. She doesn't even call me by my first name anymore.'_

She cleared her throat before taking Katarina's hand into her own and kneeling on one knee. Squeals erupted around them, and Katarina couldn't stop the pink tint that now colored her cheeks.

"H-Hey! What the fu...-hell are you doing?" Katarina questioned, looking at Ashe with a disbelieving look.

Ashe was quite happy when Katarina decided to cut herself off before she had said another curse word. It gave her much determination to make sure Katarina forgives her.

"I'm sorry, Katarina." She apologized, sincerely gazing up to her so called 'girlfriend'.

Katarina's disbelieving look became more pronounced.

"I had overstepped a boundary I didn't know. This is my first relationship and you see, I'm still quite inexperienced with these kinds of things."

The squealing didn't stop and the two of them heard a few words the students said.

 ** _"Ashe! I'm sure Katarina will forgive you!"_**

 ** _"Katarina! Why would you make Ashe kneel just for you to forgive him!?"_**

Katarina pulled and tugged until Ashe was back on her two feet. "I forgive you, you idiot! What are you even saying sorry for?"

Ashe frowned. "You _still_ don't look happy."

Katarina grabbed Ashe's blazer and pulled her forward, their noses almost touching. The squealing in the background became silent for a moment before some of the girls fainted while some waited in anticipation for the next move that will either be made by the white haired Avarosa or the red haired Du Couteau.

"If this is a little game, Avarosa, consider it _played_." Katarina said to her through clenched teeth. "What do you really want? Why are you apologizing?"

"A true gentleman does not leave a lady with a frown on her face." She replied, repeating Sierra's words. "As a gentleman and your so called _'boyfriend'_ , I should make sure you're happy."

"And what makes you think I'm not happy?"

"You've started calling me Avarosa again."

Katarina froze, looking as if she had realized what she meant, and she assumed the redhead had actually realized it.

"Ever since I agreed on being your _'boyfriend'_ , you've started calling me _'Ashe'_. After I had defended Caitlyn and Vi, and not to mention, scolded you quite a number of times for your cursing habit, you started referring to me by my last name again, which made me assume I have said, or may have done, something wrong without intending."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina stared, millions of thoughts running through her mind.

 _'Is she **that** naive, or is this all an act?'_

Katarina is completely stupefied that Ashe is _this_ much of a gentleman. She had heard a few women say that a true gentleman apologizes first, even though sometimes it's actually the lady's fault.

In their case, Katarina knew that she was being rude and she was acting like a brat, just like what her sister, Cassiopeia, had called her countless times. In all honesty, she knew **she** is the one at fault, yet Ashe took it upon herself to apologize.

She wanted to yell at Ashe and claim that her apology is a lie, but the sincerity in her eyes prevented her from doing so.

"Are you sure you forgive me?" Ashe asked, breaking her out of her little reverie.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, mentally counted from one to five before opening them again and letting go of Ashe's blazer. Wordlessly, she reached up and fixed Ashe's loosened tie and smoothed the front with her hands.

"Umm, Katarina?"

...

"I'll forgive you as soon as you buy me a snack."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _I seriously hope you're all enjoying the story so far. O.O_


	6. Chapter 6

**ACT 6**

Ashe felt a bit nervous internally as Katarina led her to her usual table, which is where her ' _girlfriend's'_ circle of friends are currently seated at. When she noticed the direction they were going to, she had to quietly swallow the lump that had unconsciously formed in her throat.

At the table they are presently headed, are Darius, Draven, a guy with a hood, a girl with green hair, an extremely tall and huge guy, a girl with violet hair and a girl with black hair and red streaks.

When the two of them came into the group's view, all of them looked at between them and their intertwined hands. The girl with green hair scooted to the side, leaving enough space for the two of them. Katarina sat down first before she herself settled down.

"Well, well, well, you must be the transferee student. Ashe Avarosa, correct?" The green haired girl asked, smirking suggestively.

"Yes, that's me." She said with a polite nod.

"I'm Cassiopeia Du Couteau, this here is my brother, Talon, the big guy over there is Sion, the girl beside him is Morgana, the girl beside Morgana is Elise, and of course, you know Darius and Draven." Cassiopeia introduced, gesturing with a hand as she did so.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"Is it?" Elise asked her, smirking suggestively as well.

Katarina looked irked. "Ahem, I'm over here."

"Right, right," Elise waved a hand dismissively.

"Is it true you're the boy who has captured my dear sister's heart?" Cassiopeia asked, glancing at a glaring Katarina for a moment.

Ashe was about to open her mouth to say yes, but Katarina abruptly spoke up, cutting her off before she could even begin.

"Yes, he is. Now if you'd excuse him, he's going to get me a snack." Katarina said before nudging her.

Ashe settled on nodding, standing up afterwards. "Excuse me."

She was about to turn away when she remembered rule number two yet again. Ashe turned back to her _'girlfriend'_ leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead before completely left to go to the food area.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina's brain literally fluctuated. She found herself staring at Ashe's departing form, frozen and utterly still due to the kiss she had received on her forehead. She's still not that used to that whole goodbye and greeting kisses.

 ** _Snap!_**

 ** _Snap!_**

 ** _Snap!_**

 ** _CLAP!_**

Katarina whipped her head to Cassiopeia, who is just retracting her hands from her.

"What?"

"What do you mean _'what?'_ " Cassiopeia asked with a laugh.

"Cassiopeia was snapping her fingers at you, but you wouldn't turn. So, she clapped, and that's when you finally responded." Sion explained with his extremely deep voice.

"It looks like you and that Avarosa boy are _actually_ in a relationship." Morgana spoke up, perching her chin on her hand.

"You, my dear sister, have good taste." Cassiopeia then leaned forward and murmured. "If you're done with him, send him my way. I'll make him forget your name in a heartbeat."

Katarina had to resist the urge to slap her sister. But then, she remembered.

This isn't all real.

This is just a pretend relationship. A fake one!

Instead of slapping her sister like she had in mind a second ago, she flashed a smirk at her sister.

"Good luck then,"

Cassiopeia flipped her green hair over her shoulder. "Truthfully, I don't need it."

"Listen, Katarina." Draven spoke. "We didn't know that wimp was your boy toy. If we knew, we probably hadn't given him a little beat up."

"I have nothing to say sorry for. After all, it's not like I punched a girl." Darius gruffly stated, chugging the soda can he has in his grasp.

 _'You did punch a girl.'_ Katarina thought, taking a random pastry from the box Morgana had brought with her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe was looking at various food displayed on the long counter before she heard her name being called. Looking over to the direction the voice had originated, she found Riven approaching her with a smile. She returned the smile without hesitation.

"Hey, Riven," She greeted, waving for a second.

"You've been standing there for quite a while now. Need some help picking?"

"Actually," She rubbed her nape, a bit embarrassed with what she's about to say. "Katarina wants a snack, and I forgot to ask her what she wants. I don't really want to go back to her to ask."

"Hmm, how about you make her a sandwich?"

"Make her a sandwich? How?"

Riven chuckled before pointing at the left end of the counter. "The sandwich station is over there. You can assemble your own sandwich there."

"Where do I pay then?"

"It's free, don't worry. The monthly fee includes your recess and lunch every school day."

"Oh, I see."

"Come on,"

Ashe followed Riven to the sandwich station and found an different kinds of bread, meat, vegetables and condiments, all at her disposal.

"Wow." Is the only thing she could say.

"Well, go ahead. Go crazy."

She took a plate from the neat pile at the side before grabbing one piece of sliced bread. She took ham, cheese, bacon bits and added melted cheese on top of it. After taking all those and neatly stacking them, she took another sliced bread and placed it over everything she had taken.

"You can use the microwave, if you want." Riven said, nodding her head to the black microwave beside the condiments.

She placed the plate of sandwich inside, setting it to the right temperature with a one-minute timer countdown. After doing so, she turned back to Riven.

"Thank you for pointing out this area to me. It did save me the hassle of thinking about what to get Katarina."

"No problem." Riven waved off. "So, you and Katarina, huh?"

Ashe nodded...

"Achoo!"

Before suddenly sneezing.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered, wiping her nose with her handkerchief, which she returned back to into blazer's front pocket afterwards.

"You know, I never expected you two to be a pair." Riven stated, continuing the conversation.

"Who?"

"You and Katarina."

"Oh, that, well... What makes you say that?"

"Katarina has never shown an interest in having a relationship with someone, let alone give attention to boys."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. From what I heard, she had once said that men are irrelevant and she herself said that the students here will never find her in a relationship with one."

"Isn't that a little over-exaggerated?"

"It is," Riven nodded. "But I guess it must have been your charm that got to her."

Ashe laughed, a bit uneasily. "I guess you're right. It must be my charm."

Riven caught the uneasiness of her laugh and became somewhat confused.

"If it wasn't your charm, then what did?"

 _Ding!_

"Oh, it's finished." Ashe turned away took the sandwich out of the microwave, sliced it into half and in a shape of a triangle. "Thank you for the help, Riven."

Instinctively, she took one of Riven's hands and placed a kiss on top of it. She then excused herself from her and made her way back to the table where Katarina and her circle of friends are.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Oh, did you see that~?" Cassiopeia asked Katarina in a sing-song voice.

Katarina, who had seen the kiss-on-the-hand scene unfold from where she sat, looked intently at Ashe. When Ashe had walked past Riven, the other female followed the Avarosa with her gaze, a blush painting her cheeks.

"Katarina, I made you a sandwich." Ashe said as soon as she entered her earshot, sneezing into a handkerchief she had taken out in time.

As soon as Ashe stored the handkerchief away and placed the plate in front of her, Katarina instantly grabbed her forearm and yanked her down, making Ashe fall onto her seat.

"What the fuck was that?" She grabbed Ashe's tie and used it to pull the Avarosa to her.

"What was what?" Ashe asked her back, looking completely clueless to what she had done and not noticing the curse word Katarina used due to the fact that Katarina looked and sounded angry.

Well, when is she ever not angry at her?

"That thing that you did to Riven!"

"I talked to her?"

"No, sweetheart," Cassiopeia commented. "You kissed the top of her hand."

Ashe turned back to her. "That was just me showing my manners, Katarina. No need to get jeal...-!"

"Jealous? Tsk!" Katarina let Ashe's tie go. "Don't be delusional."

Katarina grabbed one of the half of the sandwich and started eating it, ignoring the amused looks her friends gave her. Cassiopeia reached out and place a hand over Ashe's left hand, which is currently on the table and just beside the plate of the sandwich.

"A gentleman like you is counted as an endangered species, so don't ever change that attitude of yours."

Katarina slapped Cassiopeia's hand away from Ashe's own.

"Get your own boyfriend." She grunted out after swallowing the second bite she had eaten. "And you, Ashe,"

"Uh, yes?"

"Every recess, make me this sandwich."

"Uh, sure, I guess."

"If you're going for the abusive type of girlfriend, Katarina's the perfect match. But if you're looking for a girl that will make you feel like you're in Heaven and make you feel loved, then go break up with my sister and start a relationship with me." Her sister said to Ashe, suggestively winking.

"Oh, umm," Ashe looked uneasy. "I'm quite content with Katarina, but thank you for the offer."

Katarina seethed.

"You're not suppose to thank her for something like that!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Three classes passed and it's finally lunch time. Katarina, of course, dragged Ashe to her table again. This time, when they arrived, there's already space, enough for two, waiting for them.

While all of them have their own trays of food, including Katarina, they all noticed that Ashe didn't order any food from the food area.

"On a diet?" Talon assumed.

"Not really," Ashe then pulled out a lunch pack neatly wrapped in a navy blue and gold checkered cloth. "I brought my own with me."

Ashe unknotted the cloth, folded it and placed it aside, opening the lunch pack, which revealed a nicely arranged food inside.

"Despite that being homemade, it looks quite delicious." Cassiopeia commented, auditing the delicious-looking food in the lunch pack.

"Everything made from home is always delicious." Morgana murmured.

"Not everything." Darius muttered, glancing at his younger brother when he said this. Draven sometimes feel like he can do anything, so he tried showing off his cooking skills, which made Darius vomit as soon as he ate one tablespoon of his brother's cooking.

"I prefer to cook my own food. I want to be independent as much as I can be."

"Hm, I like him already." Sion said before he started eating his food.

Ashe had just finished unwrapping the tissue paper around her spoon and fork when her lunch pack was suddenly snatched away from in front of her, only to be replaced by a tray of elegant and expensive-looking food.

"Umm," She turned her head to her _'girlfriend'_. "Katarina?"

She found her lunch pack now being held by Katarina, only for her to lose sight of it as her eyes clenched shut and she sneezed, probably for the umpteenth time of the day.

"You can have my lunch. I've been eating that kind of food ever since I got enrolled here. I want to taste something different today." Katarina replied, ignoring her sneezing.

After Katarina finished, the redhead started devouring the food in her lunch pack. She just stopped herself from sighing and decided to eat the food in front of her.

"I told you she's the abusive type." She heard Cassiopeia murmur with a chuckle.

She was in the middle of eating the roasted beef on her plate when Katarina abruptly asked her a question.

"What is this?"

Ashe looked away from her food and directed her gaze to the redhead. Only to find her slightly raising up one of the pieces of food from her lunch pack.

"That's an egg roll with cheese and parsley."

"And this?" A different piece of food was raised.

"That's a bacon-wrapped mushroom."

"This?"

"That's broccoli with melted cheese."

"From now on, you're going to pack me some lunch. Five times a week."

"What?" She asked with slightly wide eyes before her eyes suddenly clenched shut again. "Achoo!"

Cassiopeia quirked an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

She replied with a wordless nod.

Katarina disregarded her sneezing yet again. "Did I stutter? No, I didn't."

"My offer still stands, Ashe." Cassiopeia decided to say, winking. "You're handsome, smart, rich, has great cooking skills, a gentleman... Well, you're the complete package, Avarosa."

She found Katarina glaring at the green haired female.

"Fuck off, Cass."

 ** _Tap!_**

Katarina had one thought and one thought only.

She's going to end up killing Ashe at the end of the day.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Last subject is finished and finally, it's time to go home. Ashe and Katarina exited the school, hand in hand as always.

"Tomorrow, pick me up from my house, alright?"

"Huh? Why?"

"First of all, you're my _'boyfriend'_ , remember? Second, so my father can see that I have a boyfriend and will finally stop himself from bothering me in getting one."

"Oh, okay."

"Give me your phone."

Ashe took out her smartphone and handed it to Katarina, who unlocked it and typed on it for a few seconds. After a moment or two, Katarina handed it back to her.

"I'll text you my address later, and you text yours back. Type mine in your GPS to locate my house when you're going to pick me up."

Ashe nodded and they halted their steps. She noticed that they stopped just behind Katarina's motorcycle.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Katarina released her hand and was about to mount her Ducati, but then Ashe, for the third time, remembered rule number two.

"Katarina,"

Sighing, Katarina turned back to her.

"What?" She crossed her arms across her chest. "I haven't cursed for the past two hours. What else are you going to say now?"

She felt a pair of cold but soft lips on her forehead.

"Goodbye."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina watched Ashe as she walked away, probably heading to her own car. She stared at Ashe's retreating back for another moment before she reached up and touched the spot on her forehead where Ashe's unusually cold lips touched.

She could feel her heartbeat, rapidly beating against her ribs. It's a feeling that's been happening lately, and she doesn't know what to make out of it.

 _'Rule number two, rule number two, rule number two, rule number two... It's rule number two! Calm down.'_

Her hand then wandered to her chest, where she felt the beat of her own heart for a moment.

 _'It's only been one day, Katarina.'_ She thought to herself, now glaring at Ashe's back, which is far from her now.

 _'Rule number four, Katarina!'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Is someone already close in breaking the rules? :P_

 _No, the story won't be moving **THAT** fast! XD_


	7. Chapter 7

**ACT 7**

Katarina huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms as she watched Cassiopeia and Talon step down the stairs, bags in hand. Of course the two noticed her irked expression. Instead of heading out and boarding the black car waiting for them outside, the two approached her.

"We expected you have already left for school." Talon stated, arranging the sling of his bag on his shoulder.

"I'm waiting for Ashe."

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. "What time did he say he'll be picking you up?"

"About an hour ago."

"I don't think he's going to come, Kata."

"And how would you know?" She growled at her sister. "Do you think he has the guts to keep me waiting?"

Talon shook his head while Cassiopeia sighed.

"Then, why, pray and tell, could he be this late?"

The sound of thunder rumbled as lightning struck somewhere outside.

"Didn't you ever think maybe the Avarosa is sick?" Talon finally asked.

Cassiopeia lightly slammed her right fist in her left palm. "Oh, Talon has point. Ashe has been sneezing all day yesterday, so he probably caught a cold."

Katarina's gaze trailed to the side as she recalled the events other day. The day when Ashe came and prevented her from getting sick by pulling her out of the rain and taking care of her in short span of time.

"Drop me off at his apartment."

Her sister smiled in triumph, while his brother nodded his head to the direction car.

"Tell the driver his address."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina walked into the Ashe's apartment lobby, looking around as she did so. She approached the receptionist, slightly flinching in surprise when thunder struck again from outside.

When she was still in the car with her siblings, she had received a message from Ashe saying she's sorry and that she won't be able to pick her up since she's not going to school.

That didn't stop her from going.

She replied with a message that told Ashe that she's going to drop by at her apartment.

"May I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"What apartment number and floor is Ashe Avarosa?" She asked.

"Your name please?"

"Katarina Du Couteau."

"Ah, yes, Miss Du Couteau," The receptionist then handed her a key. "Mister Avarosa said he won't be able to open the door, so he called earlier and had asked the management to give you his spare key. He's at the top floor, room 509."

Katarina grabbed the key, not bothering on thanking the receptionist.

"Oh, umm, Miss Du Couteau?"

She turned back to the female receptionist, resisting the urge to glare at her when she noticed the light blush on her cheeks.

"What?"

"Are you... Are you Mister Avarosa's girlfriend?"

Instead of just walking off and disregarding the question, she looked over her shoulder and quirked an eyebrow.

"You got a problem with that?"

The receptionist jumped and shook her hands in front of her. "O-O-Of course not! I'm sorry if I...-!"

"Yeah, well, shut up." She snapped, turning away. She walked down her path and approached the elevator, grumbling under her breath about Ashe being too good-looking for her own good.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina, once again, grumbled under her breath. This time, about Ashe being a lazy ass as she unlocked the apartment door, closing and locking it as soon as she was inside.

"Ashe?" She called.

...

...

"Hey, Ashe!"

...

...

"Is anybody even home?" She asked out, sounding as if she was grouching at nothing but the air.

"I-In here..." A voice called back from the dining area.

Katarina stuffed the spare key inside her pocket, walking towards the room where the voice had originated. When she walked into the dining room, she surprisingly found Ashe huddled up under the table with a blanket wrapped tightly around her.

She approached the table and crouched in front of Ashe, who still hasn't seen her due to the fact that her head is bent low and currently buried in her arms.

"Hey," She spoke, making Ashe slowly tilt her head upward, revealing her cerulean eyes that peeked through the slits of the white strands on her face. "What the fuck are you doing under the table?"

Ashe avoided her gaze and hid her eyes again. "It's... comfortable here."

Katarina raised an eyebrow. Ashe didn't bother scolding her for her use of profanity. She surveyed Ashe's slightly trembling form under the blanket, her eyes inspecting the quivering female.

"Bullshit to that. What the hell are you doing there? Like, for real?"

"Like I said..." Ashe showed her eyes again. "It's comfortable here."

Again, her swearing was disregarded.

"And like I said, that's bull...-!"

The sound of thunder suddenly filled the room.

 ** _Thump!_**

But that wasn't the reason why Katarina had cut herself off. The main reason why she abruptly stopped herself from continuing is because Ashe suddenly jumped and had hit her head on the table.

"Hey! You alright?" She asked, obviously seeing Ashe hit the top of her head to the bottom of the table.

"Listen, Katarina," Ashe murmured in a muffled manner. "Take my car and go to school... I'm not feeling well."

"I'm not going to leave you here looking like a stupid baby." She stretched a hand out to the trembling Avarosa.

Ashe raised her head and her eyes instantly landed on her offered hand. When Ashe stared at her hand for more than three seconds, she started retracting it.

"Fine, don't accept my help." She muttered. "I'm leaving."

Thunder struck once again and next thing Katarina knew, she had left her crouched position and is now sitting on the floor with Ashe in her arms. Ashe had suddenly jumped towards her and just buried her face in her chest. Katarina gazed down at Ashe with a incredulous look and began trying to push her off.

"What the fuck, Avarosa? Get of...-!"

"Don't leave me," Ashe whispered against her chest. "Please..."

She froze, halting her attempts in pushing the trembling female. Lightning flashed from outside, followed with the loud rumble of thunder. She felt Ashe jump and tighten her arms around her.

"Are you... Are you afraid of thunder?"

Slowly, Ashe nodded her head.

Katarina sighed. "You're in the last year of college. Heck, you're practically an adult! But, you're still afraid of a little thunder?"

Ashe was silent for a long moment and she actually thought that they're going to be stuck like this forever, but Ashe spoke before she could yell or do something she might regret in the future.

"When I was eight, I tried fighting back from my stepmother. I told her I didn't want to be a boy. Since my father was in a business trip that time, no one could stop her from locking me in my closet during a thunderstorm."

"..." Katarina stayed silent, not really knowing what to say. She isn't one for mushy stuff like this, after all. Thankfully for her, Ashe continued.

"My father always held me or at least reassured me whenever there was a thunderstorm, but he wasn't there that time. While I was in the closet, I felt so scared. I felt so alone. A whole week, I always find myself locked in my closet at least more than half a day. Ever since that happened, Sierra told me I should get over my fear of thunder by myself."

"..."

"But I didn't. Even now..."

She felt Ashe's hands clutch the back of her school blazer with a desperate grip.

"I'm still the same scared girl that was locked in a closet."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina sighed, looking over her shoulder and at Ashe's sleeping form before heading to the kitchen.

"What kind of mother would do that to their own daughter?" She muttered under her breath. She can't seem to dispel the image of an eight year old Ashe, all cooped up in a dark closet, shivering and trembling in fear.

 _'Well, this Sierra lady **is** Ashe's stepmother. Figures, I guess. Typical evil stepmother.'_

Earlier, she had moved Ashe to the bedroom and held her until the Avarosa fell asleep. She had also changed Ashe's clothes since the other is actually really sick. When she had touched Ashe's bare skin, she was taken by surprise. Instead of feeling her usually cold skin, she felt the opposite. She felt like the warm skin almost burned under her fingertips.

 _'I guess her sneezing wasn't really caused by dust.'_ She had thought that time.

Now, while Katarina started in attempting to cook some soup for Ashe, she can't help but feel... odd. All of this, it's all new to her.

Never had she held a person.

Never had she taken care of a person, aside herself.

Never had she cared for a person like how she's caring for Ashe now.

She shook her head, internally scolding herself for even thinking of useless things and matters that are complete nonsense to her.

"I don't care about her." She stated to the air. "I'm just doing this to make sure she doesn't bail out of our deal."

As she cooked, she spoke, or to be more specific, muttered and murmured to herself. In short, she started a one-sided conversation with herself.

"This is ridiculous. She's so stupid, seriously. Who the fuck is afraid of thunder these days? No one! Absolutely no one! Yet, I'm stuck with an imbecile that's a girl that dresses up as a stupid boy."

She cursed Ashe in her mind.

"Of all the people I could have as my fake boyfriend, the Heavens give me her." She sighed loudly in exasperation. "Can't wait for these three months to be over with."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina had just finished cooking what she referred to as soup and took one bowl to Ashe's bedroom. Hopefully, the soup turned out well. This is her first time cooking something.

 _'Pfft! She should just be grateful I even exerted my energy by cooking for her.'_

Just in time though, Ashe was just awakening from her slumber when she entered the room with a tray, a bowl of soup, a spoon and a glass of water. Ashe sat up, while she sat down beside her.

"You okay now, coward?" She asked, not really sounding worried, concerned or nice at all.

Ashe looked towards the window, the little nickname not really registering to her. Either that, or she just ignored it. It's cloudy outside, yes, but the thunder and the lightning had already stopped. All they could hear is the soft pitter-patter of the rain from the ceiling.

"The thunder's gone, don't worry." She muttered, rolling her eyes at Ashe's somewhat scared self.

"I'm sorry." Ashe apologized, fiddling with her blanket. "I made you miss school."

Katarina scoffed. "Never mind that. Here, eat some soup."

She raised a spoonful of soup and Ashe leaned forward a little to eat it. When she ate it, Ashe made a face for a second or two before she swallowed it.

"It's... _exquisite_." Ashe said, weakly smiling at her due to the illness.

Katarina merely raised an eyebrow before she continued feeding Ashe, handing her the glass of water on the tray whenever she asked. After a few spoonfuls and such, the bowl was empty.

"I checked the forecast in the Internet. You don't have to worry about any thunderstorms anymore. It was just in passing."

Ashe nodded. "I see. Thank you."

"I'll just go clean this up." She stated, standing up and carrying the tray with her.

"You don't have to." Ashe called out from behind her.

"No, I don't have to." Katarina replied, before adding, "But I want to."

"But...-!"

"Besides, it's my life. I do whatever I want, when I want, so shut up. You're not the boss of me."

Ashe frowned and looked down to her lap, where her fingers played with her blanket.

"O-Oh... Okay..."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Stop acting like a stupid kid and grow up, Avarosa."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina walked into the kitchen and placed the tray on the kitchen island. She then approached the small pot of soup, said pot still filled with what was left from what she had made. She grabbed a spoon from the side. When she finally filled her spoon with the soup, she ate it.

Only for her to run to the sink and spit the soup out in utter disgust.

"Augh!" She made a disgusted sound, turning on the sink and gargling a handful of water for a moment. She grabbed a piece of tissue paper from the long tissue roll from the side and wiped her lips.

"What the fuck...? That tasted like, ugh..."

Her eyes then widened when she realized what had happened earlier. She had fed **THAT** to Ashe!

Yes, she may not be care for that cowardly female, but she's not _that_ heartless! She wouldn't even feed the soup she made to a dog! It's that ill-tasting.

Katarina rushed out of the kitchen and ran back to the bedroom, shoving the slightly open door as she came in. Ashe, who was gazing outside the window, turned to her, a silent question in her eyes.

"Exquisite my ass!" She shouted, glaring at the Avarosa.

Ashe furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that the soup I cooked tasted like shit!?"

"No, it didn't." Ashe disagreed. "It just had an _uncommon_ taste."

"Uncommon? I tried it, and I almost vomited! And it only touched my tongue before I had to spit it out. **You** ate one bowl of it!"

"Well, you did cook it for me."

"If I cook you something revolting, would you still eat it!?"

Ashe calmly nodded. "Of course."

She looked at Ashe like she's the craziest person in Runeterra. "Why?"

"Because you made it."

Katarina opened her mouth to yell some more, but she found herself looking like a fish out of water. The sincerity in Ashe's eyes showed her that the other is dead-serious with her answers.

She loudly sighed, before pointing at the bathroom door at the side. "Puke it out."

Ashe raised both of her eyebrows. "What?"

"I said, puke it out." She said, her voice calm and controlled.

"Why should I?"

"Puke it out, or else you'll die from food poisoning."

"No, I won't."

"I'll shove my finger down your throat then, until your gag reflex reacts." She started to approach Ashe, who in return, looked at her with wide eyes.

"What? No!"

She jumped onto the bed and unconsciously started a little wrestling round with Ashe. "You have to puke that out!"

"No!"

"How can you even say it was exquisite?" She asked, trying to pin Ashe down.

"It was! I'm sure it just has an acquired taste." Ashe tried defending her food, dodging her when she tried grabbing her.

"Acquired taste!? Fuck you!"

"You're using foul words again, Katarina!" Ashe said, escaping her grasp as she spoke. "Don't think I haven't been noticing!"

"Don't change the subject! This is for your own good!"

Ashe dove under the blankets and Katarina instantly grabbed both of her ankles. Ashe tugged on her captured legs, making Katarina lose balance and fall forward. She ended up falling on Ashe, who released a beautiful laugh she didn't expect from her.

She snatched her face away from the bed mattress and looked at Ashe directly in the eyes, while she hovered over the white haired female.

"What's so funny?" She questioned, mildly glaring at her.

Ashe chuckled and smiled at her. "This."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"My whole life, I've never felt so happy as much as I am right now."

Katarina wordlessly hovered over her, and she instantly stiffened when Ashe reached up and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Next thing she knew, her head was in the crook of Ashe's pale neck, while a pair of arms now encircled around her.

"Thank you, Katarina."

...

...

...

...

...

"Don't touch me." She grunted as she pushed Ashe's arms away from her. As soon as she was free, she got off of Ashe and the bed.

"Katarina..."

She was already headed towards the doorway when she turned back to Ashe and glared threateningly.

"Just because I cooked for you and _'took care'_ of you, doesn't change anything, Avarosa. Don't get way too ahead of yourself." Katarina snarled, looking a bit murderous.

Ashe, who had assumed a seated position, lowered her head. "I'm... I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away with all the fun and...-!"

Katarina sarcastically laughed, cutting Ashe's words off. "You think this is fun? Well, it isn't fun for me!"

"Don't say that..."

"Don't say what? That taking care of you isn't fun? That this is a fucking waste of time for me?"

"Katarina... You don't have to be so... mean." Ashe murmured, head bowed down.

"Who would enjoy taking care of _you_!?" She gestured at Ashe for emphasis. "No one!"

"..."

"Tsk! Whatever. If you don't want to spit the shit out, fine then. Poison yourself for all I care."

She walked out of the room, ignoring the soft whimpers and cries Ashe released.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Just wanna say that your reviews are awesome and that I love you all for telling me your thoughts about the story._


	8. Chapter 8

**ACT 8**

It's been a whole week ever since Katarina took care of Ashe and made her cry in the end.

That means, it's also been a week filled with moments of awkward drives to school, awkward hand-holding, awkward kisses on cheeks and foreheads, and perfect acting in posing as a happy couple.

Well, it was awkward, and a bit tense for Ashe, but not for Katarina though.

Ashe really felt like she had pushed Katarina too far with that hug. It was just a friendly _'thank you'_ hug, but she guessed that she may have invaded Katarina's personal space, which made the other be angry with her.

She wanted to apologize, but every time she and Katarina were alone, the Du Couteau would either glare at her, disregard her, or both in some way.

Today, Katarina had sent her a text, ordering her not to pick her up from the mansion, since she isn't going to school and has some business to take care of. Ashe replied by curiously asking her what the said business is, but she never got a return message. In the end, she sent another text, bidding Katarina a safe trip and that's that.

Currently, she sat on a table alone. She didn't want to table with Katarina's friends, since she felt too out of place without her _'girlfriend'_ being with her. So, she decided to eat her lunch in solitude.

Well, that was her original plan.

"Mind if we join you?"

Looking up from her lunch, she found, Lux, Quinn, Caitlyn, Orianna and Riven standing there in front of her, each holding their own lunch trays.

"Umm... Go right ahead."

In just a few blinks, the six females had joined her at her table. Lux, Quinn and Caitlyn sat across her, Orianna settled at her left and Riven occupied the seat at her right.

"You've been awfully quiet these past few days," Caitlyn told her, starting the conversation in the table. "Is there something bothering you?"

She shook her head. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Is it Katarina again?" Riven asked, tilting her head in question.

"She's just... moody, that's all."

"Maybe it's her time of the month." Lux joked, earning an elbow on the rib from Caitlyn.

"So, Ashe," Quinn spoke up. "You excited for the Pilty Fair next week?"

"Pilty Fair?" She asked curiously.

"Yes." Orianna joined in.

"What's that?"

"It's a two-day fair dedicated to the City of Progress, where some volunteer students and a few sponsors of the school have their own booths and stalls placed around campus grounds. The fair serves as a countdown of a sort."

"A... countdown?"

"Yeah, a countdown of when Piltover became an official city in Runeterra." Riven answered. "Throughout those two days, we can go around the school and try different kinds of booths. There's a movie booth, horror booth and more. Since this is Valoran University, you shouldn't expect anything but the best."

The way Riven spoke somewhat captured Ashe's attention. Riven sounded like she was admiring the fair and its feats.

"It sounds like you are quite excited for the fair." She commented, causing Riven to stop and lightly blush in embarrassment.

"Well, not really. It's just fun, you know."

"It's totally fun! My brother and our friends will be doing a booth at day two, so we can still freely spend day one!" Lux squealed. "Wanna go around with us during the fair, Ashe?"

"That is, if your girlfriend doesn't mind." Caitlyn added, giving her a look that clearly said _'we know your girlfriend is a bitch'_.

"I'm sure Katarina wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I'm sure that redhead won't mind." Riven murmured.

"How can you be so sure?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow at Riven.

"Katarina doesn't attend these kinds of things, remember?"

"She finds it boring, from what I had heard." Came Orianna's soft voice.

"Ooh! I bet Riven must be happy with that!"

Ashe looked at Lux in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, duh! Riven has you _all_ for herself!"

"Shut up, Lux!" Riven hissed, glaring at the blonde.

Lux giggled, a teasing gleam in her eyes. "Oops, got a little carried away there."

The two began bickering, while Ashe decided to just not make sense of why they're even arguing in the first place. Quinn and Orianna had the same idea, since the two were already engrossed in their own conversation.

"Ashe?"

Her attention focused upon Caitlyn.

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure Katarina wouldn't mind? We wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your girlfriend."

"Oh, that... Don't worry about her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind it."

"I've noticed she's been awfully cold to you. Are you two fighting?"

"Oh... Uhh..."

Caitlyn noticed how she seemed to be at a loss for words to explain her situation with Katarina, so the British female waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind. I don't mean to pry."

"No, no, it's alright."

"I'm just... worried. After all, I see you as one of my friends, Ashe." Caitlyn placed a hand on one of her own in a form of comfort. "And, I don't want to see my friends all saddened and looking quite glum."

Ashe flashed a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, Caitlyn."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe stepped out of the elevator and made her way down the hall with her father, stopping in front of her apartment door.

"I can't believe you managed to convince the landlord to remove the _'No Pets'_ policy." Ashe said with a smile as she unlocked the door of her apartment.

Her father chuckled, following her into her apartment with his gaze on the beautiful bird in the silver cage he held.

"Anything for you, Ashe. And besides, I think Anivia is getting a tad bit lonely at the estate without you." Alkove replied as he set the bird cage on top of a wooden table in the living room.

"You even brought my bow!" Ashe can't help but look and sound excited as she held up the elegant-looking metal bow her father had given her.

Alkove had given her a custom-made bow as a present for her 10th birthday. When she was nine, she had openly expressed a liking in archery, which is the main reason why her father had a one of a kind bow made just for her.

And now, Alkove personally delivered her unique bow and her precious pet bird, Anivia.

"I still have a meeting to get to in an hour, so I leave Anivia, your bow, and your quiver of arrows in your hands."

Ashe smiled and nodded before giving her father a hug. "Thank you!"

Alkove chuckled and hugged back. "You're welcome, little darling. Oh, and don't forget about dinner next week, okay?"

"I won't." Ashe replied, her smile still on her face.

After their hug, her father bid her goodbye and left her apartment. Ashe is truly happy right now.

What, with her five year-long pet bird and her custom bow and arrows with her, it made her forget about her current problem with Katarina.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

It's the first day of Pilty Fair and Ashe walked around the school grounds with a much brighter aura than before. Throughout the weekend, she decided that maybe Katarina just needs her space and all that. She seemed to have recalled Sierra say something about angry women usually needing space to cool down.

With her problem with Katarina half-settled, it gave her room to enjoy the school fair. Right now, her main objective is to find her friends.

"Hey, Ashe!" Lux's voice sounded.

 _'That was easy.'_

She turned to the direction where the voice originated, spotting Lux and some of her friends near a food stall. She approached the little group and found Lux, Caitlyn, Vi and Riven.

"Hey," She waved and smiled in greeting. "Where's Quinn and Orianna?"

"Quinn's hanging around with Garen and the others." Lux answered.

"And Orianna's at the movie booth with Ezreal and Blitzcrank." Vi added, shoving the brownie she currently ate in her mouth.

"Ready to play some games?" Riven asked her.

"I guess." Ashe let out a mildly nervous laugh. "This is my first time being in a fair, and you know, hanging out with friends."

"Well, you shouldn't worry about it! We're here to teach you the wonders of Pilty Fair!" Lux couldn't help but squeal in excitement.

"Alright then," Vi slung an arm around Caitlyn's shoulder and began leading her away. "Let's get going!"

"Buddy system!" Lux abruptly said, jumping between the couple. Vi and Caitlyn stumbled, but Lux's hold around their arms prevented them from face-planting.

"Hey! What the fuck is this for!?" Vi snarled in irritation.

Lux disregarded Vi and looked over her shoulder. "Riven, Ashe, you two are partners for the buddy system!"

"Fuck this buddy system!" Vi hissed in the background, but again, was ignored by the blonde Crownguard.

Lux dragged a yelling Vi and a sighing Caitlyn down the path ahead of them, letting Ashe and Riven follow after their trail.

"What's a buddy system?" She asked Riven, confusion filling her eyes.

"It's hard to explain." Riven scratched the back of her head. "Let's just say, right now, you and me are partners for the day, while Lux partnered herself with Vi and Cait."

"Oh, okay." Ashe smiled and took Riven's hand into one of her own. "We better stick close to them. Wouldn't want to lose track of them, right?"

She flashed a smile at Riven, and the blush that seemed to have colored the other female's cheeks had gone unnoticed by Ashe herself.

"Y-Yeah, sure..."

Walking throughout the fair, the first booth they ended up at is the archery booth, which internally excited Ashe.

"Ashe," Caitlyn spoke, ignoring Vi and Lux, who bickered behind them. "Don't you excel in archery?"

She nodded. "It's a favorite hobby of mine. One I haven't been doing for quite a while now."

"Here's your chance then," Riven gestures at the man in charge of the booth. "Want to give it a try?"

"I... guess."

Riven grabbed the bow and the quiver of arrows the man handed her and offered the given items to Ashe. "Here."

"Umm, aren't I suppose to pay first?"

"You don't have to. Well, not with money, that is. Every Pilty Fair, each student has a 100 _'points'_ to spend in booths, food and whatever merchandise you see to your liking." Caitlyn explained. "All you have to do is present your card."

"Card?"

Riven gave her a little nudge. "The card our homeroom teachers gave us last week, remember?"

"Oh, that." Ashe took out a white card that bore the insignia of their school and handed it to the manager of the booth.

The man swiped the card in some sort of hand-size scanner before giving it back to her.

"Your still have 90 points in your card." The man informed before gesturing at the targets. "Enjoy."

Ashe took the bow and the quiver from Riven and assumed a stance, while the two backed away from her to give her some space.

"What's my prize when I hit the target?" She asked as she audited the targets.

"Well, if you hit the three targets directly on its centers, then you get to pick any prize from the shelf."

"What if I don't hit the marks?"

"You get a keychain." The man deadpanned.

"Pfft! You can do this, Ashe." Riven encouraged.

"Of course no one has yet to hit the center out of any of the targets." The man murmured, trying to discourage her.

"Pish-posh, Ashe." Caitlyn spoke from her left. "Riven and I are confident that you will be the first one to do so."

"Fire away then, kid."

The cocky smirk on the man's face somewhat irked Ashe. She knew the guy was underestimating her, and it only fueled her determination in proving him wrong.

Instead of taking one arrow, she drew three from the quiver and loaded it to her bow at the same time. She pulled the string of the bow back, and along with it were the three arrows. Caitlyn and Riven looked at her in surprise, while the man muttered something about her being an arrogant boy.

"I want the white teddy bear at the top shelf."

The man quirked an eyebrow. "Wha...-!"

Before the man could even finish the first word he was about to utter, Ashe released string. The three arrows zoomed forward and whizzed through the air with extreme speed.

 ** _Thump! Thump! Thump!_**

After those three sequential thumps on the wood, the manager of the booth stared at the three targets, slack-jawed as he did. Three arrows that have hit its marks can clearly be seen, one arrow impaled on the center of each red target.

Ashe heard Lux cheer, Vi laughed and murmured something about her being a show-off, Caitlyn clapped and Riven approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You did it!" Riven smiled bright at her.

"Excuse me, sir. I believe you owe our friend here a certain prize." Caitlyn said to the man, who had just snapped out of his shocked trance.

"Oh, uh, of course, of course!" The man reached up to the tippy-top shelf and took white teddy bear. He walked up to Ashe and handed it to her. "H-Here you go."

Ashe accepted her prize and handed the man the equipment back, turning away from the booth as she did.

"Wow, Ashe! That was amazing!" Lux jumped in front of her and clapped excitedly.

"Maybe I should go for another round." Ashe said, mostly she was speaking to herself.

"Why? You wanna humiliate the guy some more?" Vi asked, glancing at the manager of the booth.

"Not really. It's just that, I think I should get two prizes to give to Riven and Caitlyn."

"Why?" All of her friends chorused.

"As a thank you? For supporting me?"

Caitlyn waved a hand. "It's not needed, Ashe. I'm quite satisfied with just a simple acknowledgement, which you have already given."

"Then," Ashe turned to Riven and offered her the cute and blue-eyed teddy bear. "Here."

Riven looked at her and the toy with wide eyes. "For... me?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

With visible hesitance and a light pink hue coloring her cheeks, Riven accepted the snow-colored teddy bear. Riven stared at the stuffed toy with a smile before directing said smile to Ashe.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ashe examined the teddy bear for a second or two before she thought of something.

Reaching inside her pocket, she pulled out a black and white checkered handkerchief. She took it out of its square fold and rolled it afterwards. Now that the handkerchief looked longer than it was before, she stepped closer to Riven and wound the cloth around the teddy bear's neck, giving the toy a make-shift scarf.

"There."

"Aww! It looks cuter now!" Lux said with an open smile.

"It look stupid." Vi muttered.

...

"Ow!"

Only to yelp in pain when Caitlyn gave her a hard elbow on the side.

Riven gazed at the handkerchief with wide and awe-filled eyes before focusing her eyes on Ashe's own cerulean ones.

"Now, it's one of a kind." Ashe whispered to her, winking.

Riven couldn't help but show a flushed face and a small smile as she hugged the toy against her chest.

"I love it."

While Lux still squealed about how cute the toy looks, the couple of the group can be seen conversing between themselves at the background.

"Is it me or is Ashe and Riven actually looking like some sort of item?" Vi asked her girlfriend lowly.

"Hopefully, not while Ashe and Katarina are still together." Caitlyn stated in the same low volume Vi used.

"What do you mean?"

"This is Katarina we're talking about. We don't know what she'll do. Especially when she discovers that Riven has an attraction towards her own boyfriend."

Caitlyn gave Riven's flushed face and Ashe's genuine smile a brief observing look before turning to her girlfriend.

"Or when she discovers that the feelings might be mutual."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina lounged on one of comfortable armchairs in the living room of their family estate, inspecting her phone in her grasp. She had just received Ashe's messages, one in asking her what her business is and the other one telling her to have a safe travel.

Truthfully, Katarina just doesn't want to attend Pilty Fair. For her, it's a waste of time. She made up some random excuse and that's it.

 ** _Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!_**

Katarina's eyebrows furrowed in irritation as her sister kept sending her text messages, ordering her to answer the video call. She kept rejecting it for the sake of annoying her sibling to death, but honestly, her phone's battery will run out if she lets it keep vibrating.

She thought about turning it off, but ended up brushing aside the idea. After probably the ninth time Cassiopeia tried video calling her, she finally answered.

"What do you want?" She asked with a blank look as she looked at her sister's face on the screen of her phone.

Cassiopeia shot her glare for a brief moment before speaking. "I was wondering when you'd pick up and stop rejecting my calls."

"No time for useless talking, Cass. Cut to the chase."

Her sister rolled her eyes at her, but nonetheless, continued. "Your boyfriend's enjoying the fair."

"Yeah, well, let him be." Katarina spoke without much interest. In fact, her attention seems to be more focused on her nails instead of her sibling.

"Katarina, are you listening to me?"

"Yeah."

"Katarina." Cassiopeia spoke in a warning tone.

"What?"

"Ugh! Here! Just see for yourself."

Cassiopeia directed the camera of her phone somewhere else, and Katarina's attention was thankfully taken back by the screen of her gadget when she spotted Ashe on the screen.

The live video feed showed Ashe handing Riven a teddy bear and even pulling out a handkerchief and tying it around the toy's neck. Before Ashe could finish tying the handkerchief, Cassiopeia's face occupied the screen again.

"Well?"

Katarina's focus wasn't on the screen anymore. Presently, she's in deep thought.

 _'Damn it. I told her not to flirt with anyone!'_

"Fucking rule number three..." She muttered absent-mindedly.

"What was that?" Cassiopeia's voice snapped her back to reality. "I didn't hear you clearly. All I heard was static."

 _'Thank Noxus.'_

"I said, I'm going." She grunted, getting off the armchair.

"Wait, you're serious? You do know I could just approach him and...-!"

"And what, Cass? He's not your boyfriend, so leave him be. Let me deal with my things."

"Your boyfriend's just a _'thing'_ to you?" Came Cassiopeia's next question.

Katarina growled as she ended the video call. Stuffing the little gizmo in her pocket, she made her way to the garage, snatching her jacket on the way out.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Instead of Lux leading the group, it was Vi who navigated throughout the fair. Much to their surprise and Caitlyn's expectation, Vi dragged them to the gym, which is where the 'Dunk Booth' is.

"Ooh! A Dunk Booth! This is going to be fun!" Lux halted her squealing, turning to Vi as she did. "Umm, what's a _'Dunk Booth'_?"

"It's a booth that Darius and Draven suggested to Principal Zilean. In this booth, students play against those two idiots. If the challengers win, they get a 20 points added to their card. If those two win, then the two challengers will give up ten points to the booth." Vi explained, gesturing at the basketball court.

"So, the challengers don't have to pay?"

Vi shook her head. "Nope! All the challengers need to do is play and win."

"Knew you'd bite the bullet, pinky." A voice sounded.

They all turned to the direction of the speaker and found Darius and Draven, donning red and black basketball outfits.

"Hey, Dar," Vi grinned. "You and your bro up for a game?"

"Find a teammate and let's do this." Darius said, passing the basketball he held to Vi.

As soon as Vi caught it, she whirled around and quickly threw it towards Ashe. A soft thump was heard as Ashe caught the dark orange ball in her hands.

"Fancy a game?" Caitlyn asked for her girlfriend.

Ashe looked at her friends with wide eyes. "Against Darius?"

"And Draaaven!" Draven added beside his older brother, brushing his hair back for more _'effect'_.

"Wait a minute, isn't it a bit unfair?" Riven abruptly asked.

"What's unfair?" Almost everyone asked.

"Ashe is a guy, yes, but what about Vi? She's a...-!"

Vi released a scoff, which cut Riven off. "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't take these two morons down."

"Since that's settled," Darius clasped his hands together, causing its loud clap to echo around the court, which also captured the attention of every student in the gym. "We have a challenger!"

Most of the students cheered, while a few sped out of the gym to spread the news about the upcoming 2v2 game.

Caitlyn, Lux and Riven went to sit at the front row of the stands, while Ashe and Vi made their way to the locker room to change into a much suitable attire for the basketball match.

Darius gave them one complete basketball outfits each, the set of clothing possessing a blue and black color scheme, before they both headed out to change.

"Meet ya out here." Vi gave her a small nudge and a grin before the pinkette dashed into the female's locker room.

Ashe sighed as she walked into the thankfully empty male's locker room.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Cassiopeia leaned on the gates of the school, filing her nails while she waited for a certain sibling of hers.

"Cassiopeia,"

Looking over her shoulder, she found her other sibling, Talon, approaching her, his face practically hidden with a hood, as always.

"Hello there, dear brother. What brings you here to the gates in this fine day?" The somewhat half-sarcastic question didn't bother the hooded Du Couteau.

"I half-expected you'd be at the gymnasium." Talon said, burying his hands in his pockets.

"And why, in all things cursed and holy, would I even be interested with Darius and Draven's little booth? No one would challenge them for a match. Not with Darius himself competing. There's a reason why he's the captain of the basketball team."

"Vi challenged them."

Cassiopeia stopped filing her nails and thought about the words said by her sibling. "It depends. Who's her teammate?"

"Katarina's boyfriend."

...

...

...

Cassiopeia gave her brother a half-amused half-surprised look. "Really now?"

"The game is about to start in a few minutes." Talon nodded his had to the direction where the gym can be found.

"Well," Cassiopeia straightened up and hid her nail file. "I can't really leave until...-!"

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

The two siblings turned their eyes to the driveway, just in time to see an expensive black car come to a halt in front of them. The door at the back swung open and Katarina stepped out. Said female walked towards them, slamming the door of the car before doing so.

"Where's your precious motorcycle?" Cassiopeia asked in mild curiosity.

"Still at the auto-shop." Katarina grunted. Cassiopeia opened her mouth to speak again, but of course, Katarina rudely cut her off with a question. "Where's Ashe?"

"At the gymnasium." Talon answered.

Katarina gave her brother a look. "Why the hell is he there? Isn't that where those two numbskulls have their booth set up?"

"Precisely, my dear and oh so rude sister." The green haired Du Couteau gestured to the path leading to the gym. "Your boyfriend has a basketball game in a few minutes."

Katarina walked past her two siblings and headed down the pathway, the pair swiftly following her.

"Is he that idiotic? Thinking he could take on Darius..."

Despite the fact that Katarina was grumbling and muttering under her breath, her two followers heard her.

"Do you really think of your own lover that lowly?" Talon asked, a hint of curiousness in his voice.

"At least have some faith in him." Cassiopeia added.

"Everyone is low to me. Ashe is counted to that."

"What about us?"

"What do you think, Cass?" Katarina sarcastically asked.

"We love you too, Kata." Cassiopeia replied.

"Fuck you."

"Aww."

Cassiopeia's feigned whine was, as expected, ignored. Instead, Katarina glanced over her shoulder and to her brother.

"You should probably get a first-aid kit from the school Infirmary."

"Worried for Ashe?" Cassiopeia cooed mockingly.

"Why?"

"So I can throw it at Ashe's injured face when he comes crying to me after the game."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : I _hope it's not that rushed anymore? :3 Give me your opinions, my awesome readers! Believe me, I read them. ^^_

 _ **Dedicated to** : OneSmallWriter (from Wattpad)_

 _Thanks for the constructive criticism. Totally appreciated it, since it made me realize that I was rushing the story. Thanks to you, I edited the draft chapters before I published it. ^_^_


	9. Chapter 9

**ACT 9**

When they arrived at the gymnasium earlier, it was less than half-full, but now, it's almost packed with students from their school.

The pinkette and the snow haired female walked down the hall, both wearing the basketball attires Darius had given them. Unlike Vi though, Ashe wore a white shirt under the basketball top to lessen the possibility of anyone seeing the bandages and the corset constricting her chest.

"So, when the ball is tossed up, you know what to do. We good?"

"Yeah," Ashe nodded. "Are you sure we can do that?"

Vi shrugged. "It's not against the rules, so yeah!"

"If you say so."

...

...

"For a guy, you're pretty conservative, huh?" Vi commented after a brief moment of silence, glancing at the shirt Ashe currently wore underneath the basketball shirt.

"I'm not really, you know, used in, umm, flaunting my body."

Vi laughed and shook her head. "It's probably for the best, huh, _girlie_?"

Ashe whipped her head to Vi, eyes wide. "What was that?"

Vi ignored her question and abruptly grabbed her wrist, tugging her to the entrance as the pinkette jogged towards it. "Hear that? Looks like we have an audience!"

As Vi pulled her to the direction of the basketball court, Ashe couldn't help but think of the words Vi had said just a moment ago.

 _'Did I hear right? Did... Did she just call me 'girlie'? I... I swear she did...'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when the bright lights of the court and the sound of the crowd reached her ears. Ashe and Vi exited the locker room and walked into the open space of the court. Students cheered upon seeing the pair enter their sights.

Vi waved and grinned at the cheering students, while Ashe flashed them shy smiles as they both walked up the center of the court where the two brothers and one referee is waiting for them.

"See the crowd around us?" Vi asked the two as soon as they approached them. "Guess the whole school wants to see Ashe and I kick your asses."

"We'll see about that, pinky." Darius grunted.

"They came to see me, not you!" Draven said, waving his hands to the crowd and smiling like an idiot.

"Think you can keep up with the big league, small fry?" Darius asked Ashe.

All she could reply to that was a sheepish smile and an uneasy half-shrug. "M-Maybe."

The referee waved the four of them over before speaking. "I want a good and clean game here, alright?"

The four sounded their agreements.

"Okay then! First team to shoot the ball through the opposing team's basket ten times wins the game!"

The two teams placed a small space between themselves while the referee stood in between them, holding the basketball.

"Whoo! Go, Vi! Go, Ashe!" Lux cheered from one of the front rows.

"Go, Ashe! Crush them!" Riven called out.

Caitlyn merely waved a pink handkerchief, enough for Vi to see and be motivated.

"Hey, Ashe,"

Ashe, who currently stood just a few steps behind Vi, looked towards the pink haired female.

"What?"

"Remember the plan I told you earlier."

Ashe nodded.

"Be ready, then."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The three Du Couteau siblings entered the gymnasium through the main entrance, Katarina leading the group as usual. Just in time too. As soon as they entered, they heard the referee say the victory conditions.

"Looks like you have to wait for your boyfriend to finish his game." Cassiopeia said, lightly elbowing the redhead.

"Pfft! It'll probably be over within a few seconds." Katarina muttered.

The trio approached the front row and with Katarina's intimidating glare, they acquired three spots at the said row.

"Oh, the ball's about to be thrown." She heard Cassiopeia comment from her right.

Looking towards the court, she watched as her _'boyfriend'_ and Vi trade a few words before they both focused to the ball the referee held.

The referee looked between the two teams before looking up and...!

The ball was thrown high up.

Darius jumped.

Vi... didn't?

Much to everyone's utter surprise, instead of jumping, Vi bent her knees, leaned down, slouched, and offered both of her hands behind her.

Ashe sprinted towards Vi and placed her right foot on Vi's joined hands. As soon as Ashe's foot was perched on Vi's hands, the pinkette shot up, launching Ashe forward and up in the air.

Katarina watched with raised eyebrows as Darius' fingertips grazed the ball before Ashe snatched it from his touch in mid-air.

Vi sped past Draven and was behind the said player in a heartbeat. Ashe landed on Vi's, once again, joined hands before Vi lightly launched her towards the direction where the red team's basket is.

"Run, Ashe! Run!" Vi shouted.

The crowd roared as Ashe dribbled the ball towards their goal without any opposing players blocking her path. As soon as she was at least a few meters away from the court, she threw the ball to the basket. The orange ball went through the hoop without a hitch.

"Point one for the blue team!" The referee shouted through the loud cheers of the crowd.

"Hey! That was cheating!" Draven yelled, stomping towards Vi and Ashe.

Darius held Draven's shoulder. "No, it wasn't."

"What!?"

Vi laughed. "I knew you'd see it my way, Darius."

"Heh," Darius approached the two and grinned. "You still need nine more points to win, pinky. Don't get too cocky with me."

"Oh, we know that." Vi slung an arm around Ashe. "But, you know, that won't stop us from dominating."

Ashe, who presently held the ball, threw it down the floor, making it bounce towards Darius, who easily caught it with one hand.

"Our turn."

As the four players took their places, Katarina felt Cassiopeia lean towards her.

"I thought it'll be over in a few seconds." Cassiopeia mockingly said to her, a smug look and smile on her face.

Katarina grunted and shoved her sister's face away from her.

"His luck will eventually run out."

"We'll see." Surprisingly, it was Talon who spoke.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina can practically hear Cassiopeia's voice telling her, ' _I told you so!'_ over and over again as they watched, yet again, another round.

The red team has 8 points and the blue team has 9 points.

Based from the lack of looks, or at least glances from her _'boyfriend'_ , Ashe still hasn't noticed her and the fact that she's actually there.

"Water break!" Draven suddenly shouted, preventing another round from starting. Draven jogged towards one of the benches at the side and rummage in his gym bag.

Darius groaned, while Vi gave him a mocking grin. Ashe, on the other hand, took her own water break. With intense focus, Katarina watched as Ashe walked up to the front row where Lux and the other two are.

When she approached the trio of friends, Riven handed Ashe a water bottle, and the white haired Avarosa accepted it with a thankful smile.

"Looks like Riven is much more of a girlfriend to your boyfriend than you." Cassiopeia teased her, lightly elbowing her on the rib repeatedly.

She shot her sister a glare before standing up.

 _'I am going to strangle her.'_ She thought to herself as she directed her glare to Ashe.

Katarina was just about to cross over the court to get to Ashe, when...!

"Water break done!" Draven called out.

She felt a finger hook around one of the belt loops of her pants and tug her back down her seat. Katarina ended up gracelessly falling onto her seat. She heard a few restrained chuckles and giggles from behind, but it was silenced with a single menacing glare from her.

After glaring at the students that had the audacity in laughing at her, she directed her glare to her sister.

"Next time you do that, I'm going to cut your tongue out!" She hissed at her sister.

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes at her. "If I had a coin every time you say that to me, I'd probably be a millionaire by now."

Back to the game...

Since the last point was scored by the blue team, the game starts with the red team possessing the ball.

As soon as the referee blew his whistle, Draven quickly passed the ball to his brother. Darius instantly made his way to the blue team's side of the ring. It's open. He jumped and was about to dunk the ball, when...!

Vi literally punched the ball out of his grasp, sending the circular object meters over Draven's head. Before the ball could hit and bounce off the ground, Ashe caught it and began making her way to the red team's hoop.

"Whoo!" The crowd cheered, all of them, except for a certain trio of siblings, standing up from their seats and jumping in excitement.

"Go, Ashe! Do it for her! Do it for her!" Lux shouted to the top of her lungs.

The three siblings that remained seated and had heard Lux's shout possessed the same silent question in their mind.

 _'Do it for who?'_

Talon and Cassiopeia instantly recovered and thought, _'Probably for Katarina.'_

Shockingly...

"Do it for Riven!" Lux yelled out. "Do it for Riven! Do it for Riven!"

As Lux started her loud chant, the crowd joined her and copied her chant.

"DO IT FOR RIVEN! DO IT FOR RIVEN! DO IT FOR RIVEN!" The students chanted in sync, wide smiles on their faces as they pumped their fists in the air.

Talon and Cassiopeia exchanged looks before their eyes landed on their red haired sibling, who now has an unfiltered outraged look in her green eyes.

The determined smile that materialized on Ashe's face completed the package called Katarina's fury.

Ashe performed a high jump and...!

The buzzer went off as soon as she dunked the basketball through the opposing team's basket, hands hanging onto the orange hoop.

"YEAH!"

The students climbed down from their places at the bleachers and crowded the two players of the blue team, giving Katarina no opportunity in getting to her 'boyfriend'.

Instead of shoving through the crowd like she had originally planned, Katarina got up, climbed the the highest point the bleachers offered her and instantly scanned the crowd, immediately spotting Ashe. Mostly, it was her snow white hair that made her stand out from the rest.

Katarina looked at her 'boyfriend' with a cold emotion in her eyes. She soundlessly watched as Riven approached Ashe and wiped the sweat on her forehead with a towel.

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

Riven leaned towards Ashe and planted a kiss on her cheek, and Ashe replied with a shy smile.

Her fists clenched.

Not because of jealousy. No, it's totally far from that.

It clenched in pure anger.

Words about Ashe and Riven looking like a perfect couple from a few students reached her ears and she couldn't help but dig her nails in her palms as her fists clenched more.

She is infuriated.

Why?

Not because Ashe and Riven are becoming close.

Not.

At.

All.

All this anger appeared because Ashe is making an utter fool out of her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe waved goodbye to her friends before leaving the gymnasium, a small smile still present on her lips. Vi and Lux were too excited to throw little victory party, so Ashe had separated from them since she still has one more thing to do before she leaves the fair.

She did tell them that she'd try to catch up, but right now, she has enough points to buy something she wants.

Walking through the fair, freshly showered and donning a clean set of clothes, she made her way to one of the stalls hidden behind the other popular ones. One particular stall had captured her attention, and one of its displays had caught her eye when they were on their way to the gym.

As she approached the stall she's been looking for, she unconsciously stroked her right cheek, which is where Riven had kissed her earlier. She didn't mind it, truly.

But, she knew Katarina would probably murder her if she found out. Riven had apologized for it, but she reassured the other that it was nothing. Truthfully, she liked the kiss, but of course, she won't be telling Katarina about it. She's quite sure though, she may have a teeny-tiny itty-bitty crush on Riven.

Yup. Just a small crush.

"Welcome to the Pet Booth!"

Ashe stared for a moment before shaking her head, clearing her thoughts about a certain grey haired female. She focused her attention to the booth in front of her, looking for the specific pet that had taken her interest earlier.

"Looking for something, young man?" The middle-aged stall manager asked with a kind smile.

"Oh, umm, is the red bird still available?"

"Oh! Yes, yes, the lovebird." The old man turned away and lifted up a small silver bird cage from the floor. "Here she is."

Ashe smiled as soon as she caught the sight of the lovebird. The creature possessed dark red feathers, except for its tail feathers, which are pitch black. The bird also has bright green eyes and two claw marks on its right eye.

"How much is she?"

"100 points, my boy. Add 10 points and you get the cage as well."

Ashe took out her card and handed it to the man. The man scanned the card with the similar gadget the manager of the archery booth used before handing it back to Ashe.

"Your card is empty now." The man gave Ashe her card back, and along with it is the bird cage where the red bird is in. "Are you sure you want this one?"

"What's wrong with her?" Ashe asked as she stuffed her card back in her pocket.

"Well, she's a feisty one, got into fights with her fellow birds, which explains her eye scars, by the way. Every time someone bought her, they return and ask for a refund. That's the main reason why I took her away from the main displays."

Ashe looked at the bird and smiled. "I'm sure I can handle her."

As Ashe walked away, she stopped and shrugged her jacket off before covering the bird cage with it. She heard an irked tweet from the bird. Ashe lifted the jacket up a little and peeked at the bird.

"Don't worry. You won't be in the darkness that long."

Ashe made her way through the fair and made it to the gates without difficulty. She had parked her car outside the school grounds, since a lot of outside visitors had came and filled the campus parking lot with their own vehicles.

When Ashe arrived at the gate, she was taken completely by surprise. Katarina stood there, leaning on a wall and head lowered.

 _'Oh! Perfect timing!'_ She glanced at the covered bird cage she held with her right hand as she approached her the redhead.

"Kat...-!"

All of a sudden, Ashe was cut off as soon as her back was slammed against the wall Katarina previously leaned on. She let out a gasp, almost dropping the bird cage in the process. Katarina grabbed the front of her shirt and fisted the clothing in her grasp.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?" Katarina questioned harshly.

"I... could ask... you... the same thing..." Ashe managed to say, trying to steady her breathing. The impact on the wall had knocked the wind out of her, and she tried her best to calm herself.

"Don't you know what you did?"

"Umm, uhh..."

"WELL!?"

Ashe, with a great deal of effort, straightened her posture. "What are you even talking about?"

Katarina pulled her close, faces inches away from each other as the red haired female glared at her from a point blank distance.

"You made a fool out of me! A mockery!"

"H-How?" She asked in shock. Even Ashe herself didn't know what Katarina's angered about. She's completely clueless.

"I thought I told you to obey the rules." Katarina murmured threateningly. "Rule number three, Ashe! What the fuck is so hard in understanding a simple rule!?"

The words the students had chanted. It motivated her to surpass her own limits and to improve herself during the game. The determination she felt and showed. She had done it and dedicated it all to a girl she actually likes.

The kiss Riven had given her...

Realization dawned to her.

She unconsciously connected herself to Riven.

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to...-!"

"Didn't mean to?" Katarina snarled. "Fuck your shitty excuses!"

"Katarina, I...-!"

"You made me look pathetic."

"I swear...! I really didn't...-!"

"You being linked to Riven makes me looks like a weak and pitiful girl that can't keep her own boyfriend in line." Katarina growled lowly, low enough only for her to hear. "I don't want to see you near Riven, or any girl throughout the duration of our _'relationship'_. Understood?"

"But, Kat...-!"

Ashe stopped herself, feeling the air of Katarina's palm graze her face. Katarina, who has her right hand in mid-swing for a slap, has her said hand held by Talon.

"Katarina, I'm sure he gets your point."

Tears began falling from her eyes, but she still found the strength to look directly into Katarina's green ones as she spoke.

"I understand..." She replied with a trembling voice, her _'boy voice'_ almost faltering.

Katarina looked at Ashe's face. She could feel shame pinching her inside, but she pushed it down as hard as she could.

"E-Excuse me..." Ashe slipped away from Katarina and ran out of the school grounds.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina yanked her wrist away from her brother and spun around to face him, spotting Cassiopeia standing beside him.

"Why did you stop me?" She questioned her own brother. "I was about to...-!"

"Make a huge mistake."

She scoffed. "A huge mistake? He deserves the slap I was about to give him."

"Katarina," Cassiopeia interjected. "There are limits, you know. Abusing your boyfriend is not really a good thing to do."

"Precisely! He's my boyfriend, **not** yours." Katarina turned away from her siblings. "So stay the fuck out of my business."

"Abusing him will not...-!"

"I'll abuse him whenever I want to! So, fuck off!"

When she was about to storm off, Talon held her left shoulder, stopping her from leaving.

"Let's say Ashe doesn't love you," Talon began. "But, Cass and I can clearly see that he cares for you. Maybe not as a lover, but maybe as a friend. We know that, in the end, you're going to regret harming him."

"..."

Cassiopeia stepped forward. "For once in your life, Kata, let someone through your walls."

Katarina snarled. "Why should I?"

Talon gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. "It's because Ashe may be the one to save you from your fear."

...

...

...

...

...

...

Katarina shrugged Talon's hand off of her shoulder before running off, not bothering on boarding the waiting car she had arrived in earlier.

She just kept running...

And running...

And running.

Just like what she always does.

Especially when she's afraid.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _If you notice anything wrong in the story, typos and what not, please, forgive me. :3 I'm only human, after all._

 _Is the story flow good? Or horrible? Honest opinions, okay? ^^_


	10. Chapter 10

**ACT 10**

The morning sun shined through the glass of the bedroom window, the warm rays shining on an empty bed. At the living room, Ashe is currently perched on a sofa, wearing nothing but boxers while she ate a bowl of cereal.

In front of her, the small bird cage is placed on her coffee table, the red lovebird perched on its swing as it ate the bird seeds Ashe had filled the food cup hooked at the side.

Students aren't really required to attend Pilty Fair, so she decided not to show up at the second day.

 _'I have no more points anyway.'_ She thought, gazing at the red bird. _'I spent it all on you.'_

She had bought the bird to give to Katarina as a gift, but after the... incident yesterday, Ashe found herself more scared of her 'girlfriend'. The bird reminded her of Katarina. What, with its red feathers, a few black ones, the green eyes and the claw marks on one of its eyes, the bird is practically a 'bird version' of Katarina, which is the main reason why she bought it for the redhead.

"I should probably name you." She said to the bird. Ashe placed the now empty cereal bowl beside the cage as she leaned forward. "How about... Ruby?"

The bird ignored her.

"Hmm... Cherry?"

Still no response.

"Scarlet?"

Again, no reply.

"Strawberry?"

...

...

...

After dozens of names inspired by the color red was mentioned, Ashe finally gave up in naming the red-feathered bird.

"I should probably call you Katarina." She muttered sarcastically as she rested her back on the backrest of the couch.

Surprisingly, the bird looked away from its seeds and stared at her. She met the bird's stare with an equally focused one.

Stare.

Stare.

Stare.

Ashe shook her head.

"Just a coincidence." She murmured. _'The bird coincidentally turned at the same time I called her Katarina. Yes, completely coincidental.'_

Not.

The bird turned back to its small cup of seeds, pecking each and every one of it one by one. For Ashe, it only took at least a full minute before she succumbed to her curiosity. She couldn't help herself.

"Katarina?"

The bird practically snapped its gaze back to her, looking as if it's waiting for her to speak and continue on. She retried calling the bird different names, but in the end, it settled on responding only when it's referred to as Katarina.

Ashe opened the cage and offered a finger of hers for the bird to perch on. "Katarina."

The bird, acting quite obedient, flew off of its swing and perched itself on her finger, balancing itself with ease. Ashe eased back into the sofa, gaze focused on the bird. Using one finger, she softly rubbed the back of the bird.

After petting the lovebird, she took a few seeds in her other palm and offered it to the animal. The bird instantly perched on her food-filled palm and started pecking away.

Ashe sighed.

"At least you're nicer than the human Katarina."

The red bird, now officially named Katarina, merely stared back at her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina laid on her bed, doing nothing but stare at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her mind seems to have become a jumbled mess, since she can't really think of anything clearly.

The words her siblings had told her yesterday echoed in her thoughts over and over again. Their words haunted her.

Why?

Because it actually made sense.

She began contemplating what she had did yesterday. The way she handled the situation between her and her _'boyfriend'_. Yes, she knew it was wrong. Being abusive isn't really the best choice, but it's the only choice Katarina knew ever since she started working for the Black Rose, which she had joined in a young age.

What's the Black Rose?

It's an organization led by a woman named Emilia Evaine LeBlanc. The group may have done a _'few'_ illegal tradings and such, but the government can't seem to find solid evidence to put the malevolent leader behind bars.

Back to Katarina...

Getting what she wants by threatening and intimidating has always been her forte and it never failed her.

Until now, that is.

Handling a fake relationship with Ashe isn't really her domain. Her area of expertise usually consists of exploiting people of their uses and harming them. Building foundations of friendships aren't her specialty as well.

She has one motto and one motto only.

 **Violence solves everything.**

But now, she seems to have developed an incertitude towards those three words.

Every time she resorted to violence in this _'relationship'_ she's in, it somehow makes the situation much worse than before.

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

Katarina sat up and turned her head to the door of her room as soon as she heard the three sequential knocks come from the other side.

"Who is it?"

"It's us."

She didn't bother suppressing the sigh she released. "Come in."

The door knob was twisted and the door swung open, her two siblings entering her room after it. Talon closed the door before following Cassiopeia deeper into the room.

While Katarina is currently settled on the center of her king-size bed, Talon and Cassiopeia settled themselves at the foot of the bed.

"What do you two want?" She asked, surprisingly prevent herself from glaring at the two.

"What are you doing here?" Cassiopeia asked, disregarding her question.

"What do you mean? This is my room."

"Yet you shouldn't be here." Talon murmured.

She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "And what does that suppose to mean? Did you two come here to kick me out of my own bedroom?"

Cassiopeia sighed. "We're here because you aren't supposed to be here."

"And why would I leave the comfort of my room?"

"Do you mean the safety of your walls?" Her sister muttered.

A menacing glare was given to the green haired sibling. "Don't start with me."

"What Cassiopeia means to say," Katarina noticed Talon shoot their sister a look before continuing. "Is that, why aren't you with Ashe?"

Katarina scoffed and leaned back on the headboard of her bed, arms crossed and looking quite vexed. "Why would I be with him?"

"You know damn well why."

"After what he did to me, you expect me to go to him now?"

"Yes, and apologize to him while you're at it."

She silently wished Talon would go back to being like a mute. He infrequently speaks, but whenever he does, either Katarina doesn't care or she hates the words that come out of his mouth.

"Why should I? He's the one...-!"

"Who did nothing wrong." Cassiopeia finished for her.

"Nothing wrong!? You seriously believe that?"

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Let's face it, Katarina. It's no secret that Riven likes Ashe, but have you seen your little boyfriend cheat on you?"

"Yes!"

"When?" The two questioned back in unison.

Katarina opened her mouth, but no words left it. Ashe never cheated on her, despite the fact that their relationship is a faux one.

"Well...! Umm..." Katarina wracked her brains for a reason.

And when she found a perfect reason, perfect for her, she slammed a hand on her knee. "Like the time when you video-called me!"

"When Ashe gave Riven a teddy bear?" Cassiopeia asked with pure disbelief. "That's considered cheating to you?"

 _'Now that I think about it, my point sounded lame and pathetic.'_ She thought, mentally stabbing herself at the idiotic reasoning she gave.

She looked away from her siblings. She can't really tell them why she's truly crossed with what had happened yesterday. Hers and Ashe's relationship hoax was somehow put at risk, and they haven't even completed a month.

She was never angered by Ashe being friendly and all, but she was furious because their deal was almost exposed. In her eyes, that is. Oh, her reputation would be ruined if people were to find out about how _'desperate'_ she is, having someone pose as her fake boyfriend and all.

A scene appeared in her brain. A scene where students surrounded her, laughing and throwing insults about her being pathetic and pitiful.

It didn't last long in her head though. It was soon replaced with a different one.

An image of Ashe's crying self came into her mind, and the sound of her cries, sobs and whimpers filled her head.

...

...

...

...

...

For the first time in all these years, she has this feeling that has become foreign to her for a long time.

Guilt.

Inch by inch, her body was being filled with all the guilt she felt. The way Ashe had cried, she knew those tears were present because of her. Because of her harsh treatment.

Without realizing, she released a groan.

Her siblings, who have been waiting for a response from her, looked at her with expectant gleams in their own eyes.

"I hate you both." Katarina muttered, moving off of her bed.

The two followed her with their gazes. She left her bed and walked up to the door of her bedroom. Grabbing and twisting the knob, she tugged the door open before gesturing to it half-heartedly.

"Get out."

"Katari...-!"

She didn't let Cassiopeia finish.

"I still have somewhere to be, and I can't really change clothes with you idiots here in my room."

Instead of being offended, Cassiopeia smiled in triumph. She and Talon got up from their places on the bed and made their way out of the room.

While Cassiopeia kept her triumph, and somewhat smug, smile on her face as she left the room, Talon stopped at the doorway and turned to look at Katarina.

"Good choice."

After those to words were uttered to her, the two finally took their leave and Katarina received the privacy she indirectly requested.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe glanced at the wall clock in the living room. It just turned 12 o'clock, and she still haven't had lunch. She thought about cooking, but she still felt too... deflated to do so.

Since her dinner with Sierra and her father is still at six o'clock, she still has a lot more time to spend.

Looking to her right, she found Anivia, who is out of her cage, idly perched on top of the open cage. Beside the large bird's cage, is a smaller one. Kat, the red lovebird she had bought and named after her 'girlfriend', currently groomed her red feathers, not giving a care for any one or thing around her.

She was a bit thankful that the lovebird responds back to the nickname 'Kat', but whenever it ignored her, all she needed to do was call her faux girlfriend's name and the feathered-creature's attention is captured in a heartbeat.

Ashe rubbed her chin with a finger, while she perched her other hand on her hip.

 _'Maybe I should eat out. Either that, or I can call for food delivery.'_

...

...

Ashe nearly jumped in surprise when a bunch of knocks came sounding throughout the silent apartment. Her head turned to the front door automatically.

"Just a second!" She called out.

Thankfully for her, she had already constricted her chest earlier when she had taken a bath. All that's left for her to do is wear some pants and a shirt, and all is good.

After doing just that, she rushed out of her bedroom and approached the front door. She unhooked the chain lock and twisted the doorknob, pulling the door open.

"Good afternoon." A middle-aged lady greeted her. She recognized the woman. In fact, the woman is her neighbor. She literally lives just across her own apartment. But she never did know the name of the woman.

Ashe smiled back in greeting. "Good afternoon to you as well, Miss."

"Are you Ashe Avarosa?"

"Yes, that's me." Ashe tilted her head. "Is there something you need, ma'am?"

"Oh, well," The woman raised a piece of folded paper and offered it to her. "A young lady asked me to give this to you."

With furrowed brows, Ashe accepted the paper. "Oh, umm, thank you."

"You're welcome, young man."

She stared at the piece of parchment in her hand before looking back to the woman, who was already more than halfway inside her own apartment. She had just opened her mouth to call out, but her neighbor was too fast. In just a second, she found herself looking at a closed door.

Sighing, Ashe closed her own apartment door, focusing her gaze back to the paper in her grasp. She took it out of its folded state and read the written message inside.

 **'"At the lobby right now. Wear something casual when you come down."**

 **\- Katarina**

Ashe's eyes widened as soon as she finished reading the mini-letter given to her.

 _'It's from Katarina...'_ She stiffened. _'It's from Katarina!'_

She held the written note with a trembling hand, worry and fear swirling inside of her as she walked back into the living room.

"Oh, what could she want? Could she still be mad at me?" As Ashe asked questions to no one in particular, Anivia and Kat merely stared at her curiously from the sidelines.

 _'If I keep her waiting too long, she might get angry.'_

She gulped quietly, yet nervously.

 _'Or angrier.'_

Ashe was like a human whirlwind around her apartment. She quickly slipped on a pair of basketball shoes, grabbed a jacket and snatched her keys and wallet before she left her apartment, making sure Anivia and Kat's seeds and water were filled and full on her way out.

She didn't bother grabbing her phone, due to the fact that the little gadget is low battery and she hadn't charged it last night. This made her realize the reason why Katarina just sent a note. She briefly wondered why Katarina didn't just visit her directly, but decided to brush it off and focus at the current situation.

Instead of waiting for the elevator, Ashe used the stairway. Quickly, she climbed down from her apartment floor, which is the fifth floor. She even skipped a few stair steps and stumbled quite a number of times in the process.

Finally, when she arrived at the lobby, she swung the door open and entered the lobby. Immediately, she started looking around for her 'girlfriend'.

"Hey."

Ashe spun around to face the sudden speaker, almost bumping into the said person. Her body went a tad bit rigid as she came face to face with the one responsible for the message she had read a few minutes ago.

"H-Hi..."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"H-Hi..."

Katarina stared at Ashe as the other greeted her back uneasily, also timidly waving as she did. She looked at Ashe from head to toe, mentally noting her choice of casual clothing, slightly disheveled hair and mildly sweaty face.

"Why the hell are you all messed up?"

Ashe wiped the sweat off of her forehead and scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed. "I took the stairs."

"Why didn't you take the elevator?"

"It's, umm, too slow."

"I'm in no rush."

"You're not?" Ashe asked her with surprise lacing her words and shining in her blue eyes.

"No, I'm not." She deadpanned.

"Oh..."

"Why did you even think I'm in a hurry?"

"I'm... I'm not really sure." Ashe's eyes drifted downward.

Speaking of eyes, Katarina noticed that, ever since Ashe had arrived, she hasn't made eye contact with her. It's as if the Avarosa is avoiding her own gaze.

"I guess I don't want to make you angry again."

Once again, she could feel her guilt come back, full force.

"Hmph." She looked away, not wanting to let Ashe see the guilt that's probably showing in her eyes.

"Are... Are you still..."

"Still what?" She asked, sounding as if she snapped at her 'boyfriend'. Her pretend lover shrunk a step back, and for the second time of the day, she mentally stabbed herself with a non-existent dagger.

"Are you still angry at me?"

"No." Again, she sounded like she snapped. "Why would I be angry at you?"

Before Ashe could shrink back another step, Katarina grabbed one of her elbows before tugging her behind a pillar and away from curious eyes.

"K-Katarina?"

Her chest clenched in guilt as she heard the fear from Ashe's voice. The way Ashe said her name. She didn't like it. Her voice was filled with fear towards her. When they were finally hidden from the public's eye, she let Ashe's elbow go and spoke.

"Listen, I'm not really... a nice person."

Ashe looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

 _'Okay, maybe that wasn't really a good way to start.'_

She cleared her throat.

"What I mean to say, is that, I'm not really good at being nice to other people, okay? And, I don't normally do this fake relationship kind of thing. In fact, I've never been in a real relationship, ever. I don't even have a single friend. My siblings don't count, if that's what you're thinking."

Ashe opened her mouth to speak, but she raised a hand to stop her.

"But that's besides the point. You're probably wondering why I'm even here saying all this crap."

Wordlessly, Ashe nodded.

"Well," She scratched the back of her head. Now it's her turn to look and sound sheepish.

"It was wrong of me to just abuse you just like how I did yesterday. Just because we're in this little deal of ours doesn't mean I have the right to abuse you like that. I don't know. I guess it's just how I know how to handle things. It's the only way I know, so, um..."

She gripped on her own red hair and tugged on it for a moment, internally trying to put her pride aside and just say the needed two words.

"I'm sorry... There! I said it."

Honestly, she didn't sound sorry at all.

...

...

...

Katarina looked away and rubbed her nape with unease.

"Say something." She muttered, head still turned away.

...

...

...

...

...

"I forgive you."

"You do?" She whipped her gaze back to Ashe, who shockingly looked at her with a sincere smile on her face.

"You apologized. That's enough for me. Even if you didn't really sound apologetic." Ashe said, trying her best to prevent herself from chuckling.

"Well, I'm sorry if my apology wasn't to your liking." Katarina found herself sarcastically replying, following it with a glare.

...

...

She turned away once again and gave herself a face-palm. "Fucking hell... I did it again."

Ashe let out a light laugh.

"Don't worry,"

Much to her surprise, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She took her hand way from her face and looked at Ashe, glancing at the hand half-settled on her left shoulder.

"You don't have to change yourself to make it convenient for me."

"I have to." She grumbled. "It's unfair to you if I don't."

Ashe shook her head.

"Katarina, I may not be an expert in being social and such, but I do know one thing."

"And what may that be?" She asked in a murmur.

"Never change yourself for someone who can't accept you for who you truly are."

"Sometimes we need to change." She muttered.

"Sometimes, we change ourselves just to please others and to fit in. But sometimes, we end up hurting ourselves for trying to be the person they want us to be."

"..."

"Katarina?"

"What?"

When she gazed back to Ashe, she found the Avarosa smiling at her.

"Let's start over. Okay?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

When Katarina started explaining herself and the way she acted, Ashe had let her guard fall bit by bit. And when Katarina finally apologized, she had let her cautious guard vanish.

She had seen a much softer side of Katarina. A side no one has probably ever seen, except for her. Ashe knew that she could trust Katarina again. Finally, everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as a fake relationship can be.

Ashe watched as Katarina stepped away, detaching her hand off of her shoulder.

"Start over, sure, whatever. Enough with the mushy stuff." Katarina muttered under her breath. The redhead reached forward and grabbed her wrist, lightly dragging her towards the exit. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To Pilty Fair."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Ooooh-kie! I have lots of plans for them in the next chapter, so hopefully, you readers enjoy it as much as I did when I was typing all of them. :)_


	11. Chapter 11

**ACT 11**

They parked a block away from school due to the parking lot of the campus being already full. Katarina sighed to herself as she watched towards the sidewalk, while Ashe made sure her car is locked. When Ashe finished and joined her, she spoke up as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Why the hell did you spend all your points in one item?"

Ashe blushed in mild embarrassment. "Well, that one item is actually a surprise gift for you."

"And why did you buy me a gift that's worth more than fifty points? And what's the gift anyway?"

"I wanted to. To your second question though, I can't answer that, or else the surprise will be ruined."

She rolled her eyes at Ashe's reply. Katarina took out her own _'Point Card'_ from her pocket and raised it up, enough for Ashe to see.

"We'll use my points, then."

"Why are you even insisting we attend the fair today? I thought you hate school fairs."

"I want you to enjoy the fair. It's that simple."

"Why?" Ashe asked, tilting her head in question.

Katarina slouched, shoulders hunching, while she buried half of her hands in her pockets. "It's probably the least I could do for you."

"If you're referring to the time that you abused me, don't think about it. I already forgave you."

"You make it sound like I had hit you or something." She muttered.

"Well," Ashe looked like she was recalling the memory. "You _were_ going to slap me."

"You know what," She took Ashe's hand and dragged her towards the gates of their school. "Could you just shut up and enjoy the fair with me? Hmm?"

Ashe stared at Katarina with amusement for a moment before chuckling.

"Okay, if you say so."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina resisted the urge to scream at her _'boyfriend'_.

Why, you ask?

She and a certain someone have been going around the fair for almost more than half an hour, doing absolutely nothing but looking around. They were about to pass the ' _Dart Booth'_ for the fifth time when Katarina grabbed one of Ashe's forearms and pulled her aside.

"Are we just going to go and walk around the fair like a bunch of idiots, or are you going to pick a freaking booth?" She gritted out, her patience running quite thin. She was actually tempted to say the f-word, but for her sake, mostly Ashe's, she decided not to.

"I, umm," Ashe let out a small embarrassed laugh. "I don't really know what to pick."

"And why, in Valoran's sake, can you not decide?"

"I don't really know how to play most of the games."

"Then, why were you enjoying yesterday?" Katarina crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Ashe. "Was it because you were with that Riven girl?"

Ashe's pale face took in a pink color as she blushed. "W-What? W-W-What are you talking about? I don't, you know, really know what you mean."

She audited Ashe's blushing and frazzled self. 'Oh, so she does have a crush on that girl.'

Katarina flashed a smirk at Ashe.

"Then, you **do** have a crush on her."

"N-No, I don't!"

"Your stuttering isn't helping you."

Ashe's blush intensified. "It's...! It's because of you! You're...! You're...! You're flustering me!"

"With my teasing?"

"Y-Yes!"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, all you need to do is wait for this deal of ours to be over with. After that, you can go and court Riven or whatever."

"I... can?"

"Well, duh, idiot."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Aww, will you look at that?"

A fair distance away from the two, a pair of siblings stood there together, overseeing the small scene being done by their own sister and her _'boyfriend'_. They may not hear what the two are conversing about, but they didn't really care about that.

"They look so sweet together." Cassiopeia said, almost sounding like she was cooing.

"Katarina looks more relaxed." Talon mentioned, noticing that their sister seems to have left her usually mean and grouchy self.

"Do you think she apologized?"

"I don't doubt it."

"I do. I mean, has Katarina ever apologized to us?"

" **We** ," Talon glanced at his green haired sibling. "Are different. And, I'm quite sure Ashe differs from us in levels that we may not know."

Cassiopeia shrugged. "I still wouldn't mind if Katarina ends up breaking up with Ashe. If she does, I could pick the handsome boy back up from his knees."

Talon shot Cassiopeia a small glare. "Cassiopeia."

"Oh, dear brother," She waved a hand dismissively. "I was joking."

"You didn't sound like it."

Rolling her eyes at her brother, she turned back to the scene ahead of them.

"But I wouldn't mind Ashe being part of the family."

In a blink of an eye, Talon was gone from her side. She looked over her shoulder and found him walking away.

"You're thinking way ahead again, Cass."

"Oh, come now, Tal," She followed her brother. "Don't you think that would be divine?"

"I can't really envision Katarina wearing a wedding dress."

Cassiopeia, who was looking around while they were walking, stopped and grabbed Talon's arm. "Oh! I think you will be seeing her wearing one soon!"

Talon gave her a look. "What are you talking about?"

With a raise of a hand, she pointed at a booth.

"Because of **that**."

Again, her brother gave her a look after seeing what she had pointed at.

"You **cannot** be serious."

"Oh, I **am** , brother."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Do you like scary things?" Katarina asked.

"Umm, I guess? Not sure." Ashe replied in a murmur.

"How about the Horror Booth? Why don't you try that?"

"I don't know..."

The two of them are still discussing on what booth Ashe will be trying. Honestly, Katarina was once again starting to get the urge in strangling Ashe.

'If she could just pick a fucking booth, then we wouldn't be wasting time in...-!'

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a clear and audible...

 ** _Click!_**

She felt something soft clasp around her left wrist. It also felt a bit... fuzzy?

Snapping her gaze downward, she found a pink and fuzzy handcuff locked around her left wrist. She followed where the small chain led to and found Lux just finishing on clasping the other fuzzy cuff around Ashe's right wrist, while Ashe stared curiously at the blonde.

"There we go!" Lux took half a step back and looked at her handiwork.

...

...

...

"What the fuck is this for!?" She shouted at Lux, raising her left wrist and showing the pink fuzzy cuff.

"Oh, that's to make sure you two won't just run away from each other when we take you to our booth." Lux casually explained with a smile.

"We?"

"Yeah, we." Quinn, who stood behind her, answered with a small grin. "Now, come on, you two."

Katarina felt Quinn push her with two hands from behind, while Lux took Ashe's free hand and led her forward.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Where are you two taking us!?"

She could easily escape the two, but with one of her wrists cuffed to Ashe, that will pose a great difficulty for her. Thus, she let Quinn push her wherever they plan on taking her and her 'boyfriend'.

"You'll see!" Lux chirped, sounding quite excited.

"Where did you even get these handcuffs?" She grunted, glancing at the fuzzy cuffs for a second.

"I visited Caitlyn a few days ago to ask if she has a pair of handcuffs since her father is the chief of Piltover Police. She told me her father was staying at her apartment for a business meeting here at Valoran, so she gave me her apartment's keys the other day for me to get the handcuffs myself, since she's currently staying with Vi. But when I got there, her father wasn't home, so I just looked around the apartment, and I found these cute little handcuffs at her bedroom! Oddly enough, it was in a chest in her closet. And in that chest, there were belts, whips, eye covers...!"

Katarina visibly gagged.

"...Oh! And there were some sort of rubber balls with small straps, I think it's used for a game, you know? But what really confused me were the toys. I think they looked like plastic hotdogs and some of them were really long...-!"

"Okay! Okay! I get it!" She yanked on Lux's arm to stop the blonde Crownguard from continuing. "You can stop your babbling now!"

"Oh, was I babbling again? Haha!" Lux turned to Ashe. "You see, Ashe, I have this tendency of just rambling on and on about what I see and think! For example, earlier, as soon as I saw my brother, I started telling him about how my whole day went yesterday! Especially after the basketball game! Oh! I'm rambling again!"

Ashe merely flashed a polite smile to not offend her friend.

"Get these cuffs off of us!" Katarina started tugging on the fuzzy cuff wound around her wrist. "Who knows what's covering this thing!?"

"What do you mean? Duh! It's covered with pink artificial, and not to mention, fluffy, fur!"

Katarina looked at Lux like she was the craziest person in Runeterra.

"We're here~!"

Her attention was taken away from the cuffs and was directed to the booth in front of her.

" _Wedding booth?_ " Ashe spoke as she read the words on the banner, looking at it with curiosity.

"What the fuck!?"

"Now, now, Katarina," Lux raised a finger. "No need to curse in your wedding day."

"Wedding day?" Ashe asked, now looking between Lux and her _'girlfriend'_ in confusion.

"Apparently," Quinn placed a hand on one of Ashe's shoulders. "Someone paid for you two to be _'wed'_ today."

"Don't we need to give our consent first? And, aren't we too... underage?"

Quinn chuckled, while Lux giggled.

"This isn't real." Katarina muttered beside her 'boyfriend'. "This is just a stupid booth where two people trade promise rings and whatever."

"Actually, since Xin's mother had let us borrow a few wedding dresses from her clothing store, this year, the wedding booth is much more extravagant than before!"

Katarina's right eye twitched. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes!" Lux reached from inside one of the tents beside the booth and pulled out a tall clothing rack with five wedding dresses neatly hung. "You'll be wearing a wedding dress!"

"Hell, no!"

"Pfft! It'll be fun! Quinn, I'll take Ashe to Xin Zhao to get him changed in a tux!"

"W-What?" Ashe stuttered, while Quinn nodded from behind her.

Lux pulled out a key and unlocked the cuff around Ashe's wrist, freeing the white haired female. Without missing a beat, Quinn suddenly pushed Katarina into the tent where Lux pulled and had recently pushed back the clothing rack of wedding dresses. Last thing Katarina saw was Ashe being pushed in at the tent next to the one she was pushed in.

Katarina was forced to settle on a salon chair, and the cuff that was previously locked around Ashe's wrist was immediately clasped around one of the armrests of the said chair to prevent her from leaving.

She started thrashing on her chair, but then, a hand suddenly perched on top of her head, making her halt her struggle. Through the mirror in front of her, she looked at who owned the hand.

Shyvana stared at her through their reflection, carmine red eyes meeting her emerald ones.

"Don't move, or else I might burn your head." Shyvana warned with a blank face.

"Burn my what!?"

Behind her, Shyvana raised a hair straightener.

"Wait a second," She looked at the crimson haired student with disbelief. "You're the one who's going to do my make-up? And since when did this lame wedding booth do the make-ups of the 'brides'?"

"Yes, and to answer your question, since now."

She tried struggling again, but her efforts were stopped when Shyvana placed the hair iron just a few inches beside her right cheek.

"I said, don't move."

Silently, she swallowed.

There's a reason why rumors are going around about Shyvana being the dominant one in hers and Jarvan's relationship.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Xin Zhao raised a brand new and expensive-looking tux, showing it to Ashe and Lux.

"How about this one? It has a white bow tie and a white rose that goes with it." Xin said, looking quite proud of his choice.

Lux clapped her hands excitedly. "That would suit Ashe nicely!"

"Umm, can I dress alone?" Ashe asked as she accepted the tuxedo from Xin.

"A shy one, huh? Afraid of me seeing your scrawny body?" Xin teased, laughing.

"Uh, yeah," Ashe laughed uneasily. "I'm pretty shy with my body."

"Pfft! I'm sure Ashe has some muscle under his clothes! He's probably stronger than you." Lux defended. "Besides, judging by the good looks, he already wins."

"H-Hey! I'm good looking too, ya know!"

Lux ignored Xin and turned back to Ashe. "We'll give you some privacy. Dress up, alright?"

Ashe nodded, watching as Lux exited the tent with Xin Zhao, who is still trying to convince Lux he's handsome.

She focused her attention on the tux she held, auditing the clothes. It looked truly magnificent, and she knew with its size, she would be able to hide the curves a real man should not possess biologically.

Ashe placed the set of clothes on a nearby chair before she quickly undressed herself. She prepared for her _'wedding'_ with haste, and it didn't take long for her to be wearing the whole set.

 _'I know this is all pretend, but,'_ She smiled to herself as she tied the bow tie around her neck and under the collar. _'It's making me nervous and excited at the same time.'_

Ashe was nervous because she fears that she might do something wrong and embarrass herself. Or worse.

Reveal her true gender.

But on the brighter side, she's a bit excited because this is her first time experiencing something like this. She recalled a few words Katarina had muttered earlier. Something about two people trading promise rings.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she started thinking about it.

 _'What will I promise Katarina? We're not a real couple, so it would be hard to think of anything to promise her.'_

She thought about lying, but that idea was gone as soon as it came.

 _'No, I don't lie with my promises, even though this is all just pretend.'_

She began thinking about it more.

...

...

...

A smile graced her lips as the words of the promise she will utter in a few moments appeared in her thoughts.

 _'That's the perfect promise!'_

She was in the middle of brushing her white hair with her fingers when Xin Zhao called from outside.

"Ashe? You ready?"

 _'Ready as I'll ever be in this pretend wedding.'_

"Ready!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"What the fuck is with this crowd!?" Katarina literally shouted at Lux, who is presently offering a bouquet of flowers to her.

The Wedding Booth is actually settled just beside the entrance of the campus gardens. All the _'weddings'_ will be taking place at the garden where the _'bride'_ will be walking through a few wooden arches wrapped with vines and flowers and meet her _'groom'_ at the end of the aisle.

Usually, the only ones present at the _'wedding'_ , other than the _'bride'_ and _'groom'_ is the pretend priest and the _'ring-bearer'_.

But it would seem that Ashe and Katarina's _'wedding'_ isn't the usual kind. Presently, a small crowd of students are present at the campus garden, all waiting to see the _'wedding'_.

"Hey, it's not my fault that word had spread about your wedding." Lux said.

"You accuse so rashly." Shyvana spoke behind her, while arranging the white veil on her head. "Did you not even think that the person who paid for this may also be the one responsible for the people?"

Katarina accepted the bouquet Lux offered, knowing there's no point in not doing so. "Who's the one who paid for this?"

Lux shook her head. "Can't tell you."

"And why not!?"

"Because...-!"

"Wedding's about to start!" Came Garen's voice from the end of the aisle.

"Oops! Wedding's starting! Walk down the aisle as soon as you hear the music!" Lux gave Katarina a quick wave before she and Shyvana left her.

Katarina was tempted to throw the bouquet at the back of Lux's head but decided against it. After Shyvana had forced her into a simple mermaid style dress, the crimson haired student had hidden her clothes before she could do anything. She still needs to get her clothes back, so she can't make decisions so carelessly.

She quietly cursed the white heels she's currently wearing. The heels aren't that high, but she was used to combat boots and such. Not fashionable high-heeled shoes.

The sound of a piano, probably a keyboard type, playing entered her sense of hearing. It's her cue.

Muttering a low curse yet again, Katarina begrudgingly walked down the hall, a scowl on her face as she stepped through the beautifully-decorated aisle.

The students surrounding the _'ceremony'_ murmured and spoke between themselves, but Katarina still heard them.

 ** _"Whoa... It really is Katarina!"_**

 ** _"Katarina's wearing a dress!"_**

 ** _"Can you even believe it?"_**

 ** _"Wow! Ashe looks so handsome!"_**

Speaking of Ashe, Katarina raised her gaze from the ground and looked forward. That's when she realized that she has already reached the end of the aisle. She silently thanked the Gods for that.

She focused her eyes on her 'groom' and was a bit surprised to see Ashe standing in front of Jarvan, a small smile on her face. To add more to her surprise, Ashe offered a hand to her. Wordlessly, she accepted it, letting it go when she stood across Ashe.

"You look nervous." She bluntly stated in a low volume.

"A bit, yes."

"It's a pretend ceremony, Ashe. This is all just fucking make-believe. A waste of damn time, honestly."

Ashe narrowed her eyes slightly. "Don't make me tap your lips now."

Katarina wanted to smirk, but she was stopped, since Jarvan, who is the pretend priest, had already began speaking. Jarvan had just uttered his first sentence when she interrupted him.

"Can you just skip to the part where we both say our promises?" She asked, a sarcastic expression on her face.

"It seems the bride is excited to be wed to her groom." Jarvan said, causing Ashe to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Katarina lightly glared at her _'lover'_.

"Ahem," Jarvan cleared his throat to get back on track and ushered Garen to come close. "The rings, please."

Garen stepped forward, holding a white and plush pillow with gold trimmings. Two plain silver bands can be seen perched on the center, side by side.

"Katarina," Jarvan gestured at the rings.

Suppressing a sigh, she reached for one of the rings.

"Exchange your promises."

This time, she didn't bother stopping herself from rolling her eyes at Jarvan's words. When she refocused herself, she noticed that everyone, and I mean everyone, were silent. Anyone can probably hear a pin drop due to the deafening silence.

She raised the ring halfway in front of her before she spoke.

"With this ring, I promise we will never break up and I will always love you." She said with a blank face and a flat tone that's clearly insincere.

After that, she took Ashe's right hand and slipped it on a random finger, which turned out to be Ashe's middle one.

"That promise sucks." Xin Zhao commented from the sidelines. "Ow!"

Only to get slapped on the back of the head by Shyvana herself.

Ashe merely shook her head at Katarina's _'promise'_ , already expecting the insincere promise from her. Taking the only ring on the pillow, she raised it at the same level Katarina did and looked into her eyes.

"With this ring, I promise to you that I'll always be here for you and whenever you need a shoulder to cry on. And, no matter what happens,"

She soundlessly watched as Ashe took her own right hand and slipped the ring on around her own middle finger. She looked back to Ashe just in time to see her smile.

"I will **never** give up on you."

After Ashe finished, she shockingly placed a soft and featherlight kiss on the ring around Katarina's finger.

Squeals came from the background, but Katarina couldn't clearly hear them. Her brain was still processing the words and the brief feel of Ashe's lips on her finger. She gazed through her white veil and at the female dressed in a man's clothes across from her place.

"Do you really mean that?" She asked without really thinking.

Once again, she was taken by surprise when Ashe flashed a genuine smile at her.

"Of course. I mean every word of it."

Katarina couldn't help it. The blush that appeared on her cheeks and the warmth it brought to her face was not stopped in time.

"Now that you both have said your promises to each other," Jarvan smiled and turned to look at Ashe. "You may kiss the bride."

In that moment, Katarina's blush disappeared, and Ashe's once peaceful and serene expression transformed into a horrified one.

"What!?" The two of them chorused.

Squeals erupted yet again from the students around them. Mostly from the females.

"Wait a second," Katarina growled. "Why do we have to kiss!?"

Lux poked her head behind Jarvan and raised a paper. "It's part of the rules of this booth. If it's a random couple that's going to be wed, the two will merely exchange promise rings. But since you two are a couple in **AND** out of this booth, then the booth's rules strictly state that you two will have to share a kiss to officially end the ceremony."

Ashe's eyes widened, while Katarina snarled.

"Oh, and Pilty Fair rules also strictly states that booth rules are absolute." Lux added.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" The crowd chanted over and over again in unison.

Their gazes met, one panicked and one filled with disbelief.

 _'I cannot believe this is happening...'_ Katarina thought, wanting to just scream her head off.

She took in a deep breath before focusing her rather intense gaze to her ' _boyfriend'_. Slowly, she nodded her head once.

"Go for it." She whispered, successfully stopping herself from gritting her teeth.

"B-But...-!"

"I give you permission to kiss me."

"Pfft! What a girl. Her boyfriend still needs to ask permission to kiss her." Xin Zhao, once again, commented.

"OW!"

This time, Shyvana AND Garen hit him at the back of his head.

Ashe pursed her lips in a line, looking at her nervously. Katarina nodded her head again.

"You can do this." She mouthed, knowing Ashe's inexperienced self and lack of knowledge about such... acts.

With slightly trembling hands, Ashe stepped forward, took the end of her white veil and gently flipped it over, removing the see-through material from Katarina's face. As soon as Katarina felt Ashe cup the sides of her face with her cold yet smooth hands, she felt her face grow warm once again. Slowly, Ashe leaned towards her.

Katarina looked completely stoic and calm, but inside, she could feel her emotions go wild and rampant, her heartbeat picking up a rather quickened pace.

 _'Calm down, Katarina. Calm down. It's just a kiss!'_ She tried telling herself in her thoughts, but when Ashe's lips were just inches away from hers, she found her face's warmth increase.

' _A fucking kiss...!'_

...

At first, her body became totally rigid. Ashe's soft lips was on top of her own, and it was cold. She internally found herself not really minding its coldness though.

But she could feel that something was missing. She just knew it, and she wanted to either see or feel what this _'missing part'_ is. Yes, the kiss was... inexperienced, but that doesn't mean it didn't feel good. It sent a tingling feel throughout her whole body, a feeling that she had never experienced. Until now, that is.

The kiss wasn't empty, that much is what she knows. In fact, she felt like she should have done this the first thing she and Ashe became a _'couple'_. For a split second, she cursed herself for not doing this earlier than she could have.

Next thing she knew, she dropped the bouquet of flowers on the dirt, wrapped an arm around Ashe's waist and placed a hand behind Ashe's head, tugging her _'boyfriend'_ against her and deepening the kiss.

The tingling sensation intensified and it consumed Katarina's mind. Ashe's eyes widened in surprise, while Katarina's drifted close.

"KYAAAA~!" The students squealed loudly, their faces all red due to their blushing selves.

Lux looked amused, Quinn snickered, Shyvana remained expressionless, Jarvan, Garen and Xin looked uncomfortable.

...

...

Katarina pulled away and opened her eyes, instantly meeting the surprised gaze of her 'boyfriend'.

"Best wedding ever."

Their heads whipped to the side and there, they found Cassiopeia standing just behind Lux, with Talon beside her.

And a video camera, which is currently recording and directed at them, in hand.

"You...-!"

Cassiopeia stopped recording and turned the video camera off, smiling slyly at Katarina.

"Got it on tape? Yes, I did."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina and Ashe walked through the booth-filled campus, both feeling rather awkward with each other. The two of them are already wearing their casual clothes, and Katarina was utterly thankful she's out of the wedding dress.

When the _'moment'_ was gone and she had tried chasing Cassiopeia, everything registered in Katarina's brain. She uncharacteristically blushed wildly earlier when she realized what she had done.

But she's currently a tad bit worried.

Ever since they left the wedding booth, Ashe has been completely silent. Honestly, it is somewhat bothering her.

"...Unusual."

Katarina snapped out her thoughts and turned her undivided attention to her companion.

"What was that?"

"The kiss," Ashe scratched the back of her head. "It was a little... unusual, wasn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

Ashe shook her head. "Never mind. I guess I'm not just used to it. It was my first kiss, after all."

"Wait, you serious?" She asked, halting their walk and looking at Ashe with disbelief.

"Of course. I wouldn't lie about something like that."

"I'm you first kiss?"

Ashe nodded.

Katarina encountered difficulty in finding a reply to that, but thankfully, Ashe's attention was captured by a scream that originated from the horror booth. She took this opportunity to look down and think about Ashe's words.

Ever since she and Ashe started over with a much... nicer and more stable base, she's starting to look at things a bit differently. Mostly, she found herself viewing the much brighter side of everything.

And she only has one person to thank for that, and that specific person is her 'boyfriend'.

Unconsciously, she stroked her lips with her fingers.

 _'It was my first kiss too...'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _The question below is something I asked when this story was still in progress in Wattpad. Trust me, it was humiliating to ask such question, especially since I'm a girl. XD_

 _No need to answer it now though, since like I said, this story is already complete. :) Just wanted to share it to you all for a bit of laughs here and there. :3_

 _Do you readers (and fellow LoL players) think Katarina would use a strap-on if she ever has sex with Ashe? °_°_


	12. Chapter 12

**ACT 12**

Ashe tried her best to distract herself with the displays and decorations of the fair, making an effort in not thinking about the kiss she and Katarina had shared. Of course while she did that, she also forgot about something quite important.

She and Katarina spent the rest of the day going around the fair, tasting the food around the fair and meeting up with Katarina's friends.

Ashe has been patiently listening to Draven go on and on about him being awesome and great for the past hour. She thought about tuning Draven out, but she knew it would be rude. So, she ended up listening to him drone on and on about his _'awesomeness'_.

"Give it a rest, Draven," Cassiopeia finally came to Ashe's rescue, tugging her away. "I'm sure Ashe has had enough hearing how _'amazing'_ you are."

"Thank you." She whispered as soon as they were out of Draven's earshot.

The green haired female waved a hand dismissively. "No problem."

"Ashe," Morgana spoke. "Are you required to go home already?"

"Umm, I don't think so. Why?"

"Morgana called in a favor from a friend." Katarina answered. "We have a reservation at this new restaurant near Golem Avenue. Want to come with us?"

"Oh, um, sure."

"Great!" Cassiopeia clasped her hands together. "We should probably make our way there now. It's already past five, and if we don't get there before six, they might give the reservation to someone else."

As Katarina's friends led her to the gates, Ashe can't help but feel a bit... unsettled. Bothered, to be specific. Inside her mind, she knew she's forgetting something, but she can't seem to put a finger on it.

"Hey,"

Ashe felt Katarina nudge her side with a fist.

"Hmm?"

"You okay there? You look a little out of it."

She offered a small reassuring smile to her _'girlfriend'_.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"It's rather fancy, isn't it?" Ashe commented, looking around at the prestigious restaurant.

"It is." Morgana answered.

"I like it. Especially the ambience." Elise added.

"I'm more surprised that we have a reservation." Darius muttered.

"Morgana knows one of the owners." Katarina mentioned. "We're actually lucky that we even got a table here."

They had just arrived at the newly-opened restaurant in Valoran. It went by the name The Rift. Word says that the restaurant has four owners who rarely show themselves to the customers of the joint, and one of those owners are friends with Morgana.

A waiter led them to a table and left, only to come back to give a menu to each and every one of them.

"Chef Pantheon asked me to inform you all to not mind the prices of the food. Your dining expenses for tonight will be answered by him."

"Heard that, Sion?" Elise elbowed the big guy beside her. "Order all you want."

"Yes!" Sion started saying the names of everything he saw that looked delicious in the menu, giving the waiter a bit of a hard time in listing his orders.

The others looked at the menu, scanning the pictures of the food thoroughly. Finally, when Sion finished his orders, they told their own orders to the waiter. After their orders were taken, separate conversations started.

Thankfully for Ashe, Katarina decided to start a conversation with her.

"You've been looking spaced out ever since we left the school. You sure you're okay?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"Something bothering you?"

"Well, sort of."

Katarina raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"It's just that, I feel like I'm forgetting something." She explained in a murmur.

"I'm sure it's nothing important. Besides, since you already forgot about it, why bother remembering it?" Katarina gave a dismissive wave. "Probably nothing."

"Hopefully."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"I can't seem to reach Ashe." Sierra clicked her tongue in annoyance. "His mobile device seems to be turned off."

"I'm sure she's just stuck in traffic." Alkove reasoned, putting down the glass of water he was drinking from a moment ago.

"And I'm quite sure I taught _him_ to be always punctual." Sierra narrowed her eyes at Alkove, also putting emphasis on a specific word.

Alkove sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Give the child a rest, Sierra. Ashe is already eighteen, and she deserves to live her life the way she wants to."

"I am merely helping your child live it by guiding him down the right path."

"Right path? By making _'him'_ dress and act like a man?"

"He _is_ a man." Sierra snarled.

"No, _she_ is not."

The two intently glared at each other for at least a few seconds before Ashe's stepmother broke the intense contest.

"I'm tired of this conversation. I request for your silence." Sierra said, glaring at Alkove across the table.

"And I deny your request."

"Don't start with me now, Alkove." She warned.

"I think it's actually time that I confront you about this," He crossed his arms. "Ashe has been enduring your twisted ways ever since she could walk."

Sierra slammed a hand on the table, rattling the tablewares and capturing the attention of a few fellow diners around them. This action also disabled Alkove from continuing with his words.

"Twisted ways?" Sierra stood up and leaned forward, pointing a finger directly at Alkove's face. "I just made sure that your **SON** grows up properly!"

By now, they captured the attention of all the people currently dining at the restaurant they're in. Alkove pushed his seat back and stood up from his seat as well.

"I HAVE NO SON!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The conversation flow was going great in Ashe's opinion. Sion and Darius were discussing something about sports, Draven was admiring his reflection through one of the silver spoons, Talon looked like he's taking a nap under his hood, Cassiopeia, Morgana and Elise were absorbed with their own chatter and Katarina and her...

"Enjoyed the fair?" Katarina asked her.

"Honestly," Ashe chuckled. "It was rather eventful than I had expected."

"Probably would have been perfect if I didn't ruin your first day at the fair, huh?"

Ashe shot her a half-scolding look. "Seriously, Katarina, let that go."

Katarina huffed. "I can't just let that go. It... It makes me feel something... weird."

"Guilt, probably." Cassiopeia commented, earning a glare from Katarina.

"Are you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Katarina questioned her sister.

"Hmm, maybe."

"I'd appreciate it if you gave my boyfriend and I some priva...-!"

 **"I just made sure your SON grows up properly!"**

Their heads turned to whoever had yelled within the restaurant, and a few tables away from them, they all spotted a woman standing up and yelling at her tablemate.

A woman that was instantly recognized by Ashe.

"Who the hell is that?" Darius asked in a moderate volume.

"Talk about causing a scene." Elise muttered.

The woman's tablemate stood up and yelled as well, his voice echoing throughout the vicinity.

 **"I HAVE NO SON!"**

Out of reflex, Ashe found herself stuttering as looked at the scene unfold just a few meters away from her current spot, her stuttering voice loud enough to reach the arguing pair's ears.

"S-Stop it!"

It was a purely reflexive move. When she was just a little _'boy'_ , she always saw her father and stepmother arguing. She hated it and always got in between the two, despite the knowledge of the spanking she'll get from her _'beloved'_ stepmother after the argument.

She never did learn. Therefore, the scene before them was no exception to her.

The two yelling diners, specifically, Ashe's parents, snapped their heads to her direction, and along with them, is Katarina and her circle of friends.

"Ashe?" Alkove and Sierra questioned in unison, one laced with surprise while the other hinted anger.

"They're your parents?" Her own tablemates chorused.

"You!" Sierra murderously glared at her, and she instantly stiffened at her seat when her stepmother stormed towards her.

As soon as Sierra was beside her, the older woman roughly grabbed her left elbow and yanked her off of her seat, causing her chair to fall to the floor and officially call every diner's attention to them. Sierra opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes noticed Ashe's present tablemates.

After auditing each and every one of her tablemates, Ashe's stepmother looked back to her with narrowed eyes that awakened the fear inside of her.

"This is the reason why you're late for our dinner?" Sierra growled. "You are willing to make a fool out of your own parents just to spend some time with your new friends!?"

"Umm, I, uhh...-!" She began stumbling with her words.

 ** _SLAP!_**

...

...

...

Ashe's gaze was first on her mother, but next thing she knew, her left cheek painfully stung while her face was directed to the side, where she caught sight of Katarina's wide green eyes. The stunned expression on the redhead relayed and said so many words as she looked at it.

"How dare you...-!"

Alkove's words were cut off as soon as Katarina, who seemed to have escaped from her shocked self, stood up from her own seat.

"Hey!" Katarina snarled menacingly, glaring at Ashe's stepmother. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Sierra sized-up Katarina with a head to toe scan of her judgmental gaze. Instead of acknowledging the redhead's presence, Sierra turned back to Ashe.

"You are coming home with your father and I." Sierra stated in a strict tone, disregarding Katarina's question. "I will make sure I punish you, since you don't learn from your past mistakes in defying your mother."

Ashe didn't bother fighting her stepmother as the older woman dragged her away. But, what captured her attention was when Sierra abruptly stopped...

And her _'girlfriend'_ suddenly spoke up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She raised her head and turned to the direction where Katarina's voice originated. There, she found Katarina with one hand clasped on one of Sierra's shoulders.

"If you think you can just take Ashe away from me without a struggle, then you're seriously an idiot." Katarina harshly said.

"Take your hand away from me, or else." Sierra warned, eyes narrowing again.

"Or else what?" Katarina queried, a mocking look in her eyes. "You'll hit me too?"

...

...

...

Ashe's hand abruptly shot forward and locked around Sierra's right wrist in mid-air, stopping the older woman from landing a slap on Katarina's face. She can see the surprise in Katarina's eyes when she stopped Sierra from hitting her just in time.

She knew that with what she's doing right now and what she had already done, her punishment in the near future will be more severe than the usual ones she had went through in the past.

But at the moment, she doesn't care. Presently, her main goal is to not let Sierra hurt any of her companions. Most especially her _'girlfriend'_ , who she already considers as a friend.

"Don't you _dare_ lay a finger on her."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

When Katarina saw how Sierra roughly treated Ashe, she saw herself in the older woman's place for a moment. If Talon hadn't stopped her in time, she would have slapped Ashe herself. She admitted in her thoughts that her siblings were right. She would have made a big mistake if she had struck her _'boyfriend'_.

So, when she saw Sierra actually slap Ashe in public, it was like something was triggered inside of her. She didn't know what it was, but she damn well couldn't stop it. It may have shocked her at first, but she managed to recover after a moment.

She challenged and provoked Ashe's stepmother bravely, but she didn't expect that the woman would actually have the audacity in attempting to hit her.

Katarina had already theorized long ago that Ashe is completely afraid of her stepmother, since she still dressed like a man, despite her not living with her parents anymore. That's why she was taken aback that Ashe stopped Sierra from hitting her.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her."

And the way Ashe warned Sierra. It sounded as if Ashe was actually threatening the older woman. The expression Ashe showed somewhat surprised her. After all, this is the first time she had seen her _'boyfriend'_ become all serious and actually look and act like a man for once.

"Sierra!" Alkove looked all prepared to start another heated argument with the woman, but Katarina saw Ashe shake her head at her father.

Sierra snatched her wrist away from Ashe and turned away from Katarina, fully disregarding her yet again.

...

...

...

 ** _SLAP!_**

Katarina would have probably lunged at Sierra if it weren't for Cassiopeia and Morgana abruptly restraining her. Instead of succeeding with her _'attack'_ , she was, in some way, forced to watch as Sierra slapped Ashe for the second time.

"How dare you disrespect me, child?" Sierra questioned Ashe with a livid look.

Ashe raised her head again and turned back to Sierra, the redness on her cheek much more obvious than before. "Hurt me. Not her."

Sierra looked absolutely infuriated, based from the anger that flared in her eyes. The woman spared a short look at Katarina's direction, and instantly noticed the struggle the redhead put up in getting away from the two's restraining hold. A smirk appeared on Sierra's face, facing Ashe as it became more pronounced.

"With pleasure."

 ** _SLAP!_**

"Stop it!" Katarina suddenly growled, squirming in Cassiopeia and Morgana's hold. "Don't you fucking dare hit him again!"

Sierra kept her back facing her, while she pointed to the entrance of the restaurant, gaze focused on her _'son'_.

"Car. Now."

Katarina's anger flickered for a moment when Ashe met her eyes with an apologetic look before turning away and leaving with her parents. She clenched her teeth for a moment before letting out a breath after a long moment, Ashe and her parents long gone.

Once her sister and friend was sure she was calm, they released her from their binding arms. She was completely silent, eyes glued to the floor.

"Katarina?" Cassiopeia called in a low volume from beside her.

...

...

...

"I lost my appetite." Was the only thing she said before walking away and leaving the restaurant.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe sat inside her childhood bedroom's closet, donning nothing but her pants and a bandaged chest. She hugged her knees tightly against her chest, trying her best to ignore the stinging on her back.

When they had arrived at the family estate, Ashe convinced her father to go through with his business trip at Piltover, since he has an important meeting to attend there. After a long debate with her, her father left, also leaving her with her abusive stepmother.

She knew the punishment will be on the way, and she didn't want her father to be around to argue with Sierra again. She's not a masochist, for she doesn't enjoy being struck and having pain inflicted upon her, but stopping her parents from fighting comes first for her. Call it a childhood habit, if you will.

As soon as Alkove left, Sierra dragged Ashe to her old bedroom, forced her to take off her top clothes and used her own belt to whip her back. She endured all of that while she kneeled on the floor, fists clenched to her sides in pain.

Sierra rarely whipped her with a belt as a form of punishment. Whenever the older woman did, it usually meant Ashe had tried defying her orders, rules and such.

Last time she remembered she was whipped with a belt was when she was thirteen years old. Out of curiosity, she had tried on a dress her biological mother owned when she was still alive, and Sierra caught her wearing it.

After being whipped a few minutes ago, Sierra locked her back in the place she loathed the most.

The closet.

Sierra had placed a broom to keep the closet from being opened from the inside. She knew her efforts of trying to escape would only be in vain. Her back is hurting like hell, but still, she was quite thankful that it isn't bleeding or anything of that sort.

She hugged her knees tighter against her torso as her eyes filled with tears that threatened to fall any moment.

...

...

...

...

...

 ** _CLAP!_**

Ashe abruptly sucked in a breath as lightning struck outside and a loud thunderclap ripped through the walls of their estate. She clenched her eyes close and covered her ears with her palms, trying to muffle the following thunderclaps that continuously came.

Tears began pouring just like the rain outside, while her whole body trembled even more than before. Thunder after thunder, Ashe either flinched or winced in fear.

 _'What did I do to deserve this?'_

As tears blurred her vision, she could only wish for her help. For someone to be there for her. But, no matter how hard she wished and hoped, her father, nor Katarina, would be there to hold her again.

Hesitantly, she pulled her right hand away from her ear and looked at the silver ring around her middle finger. The ring that she acquired from her _'wedding'_ with her _'girlfriend'_.

"She'll be here..." She whispered. "She will be..."

She closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, perching her forehead over it as she gave herself false hope.

 _'She won't be...'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina stared out of the window of her bedroom, already dressed in her sleeping clothes, which consists of a tank top and panties. She was the only Du Couteau back home, since her siblings and the others are still at the restaurant, and as usual, her father is still at his workplace. She walked back home, and to be honest, she didn't really knew she was already home until she was at the door.

The unexpected thunderstorm made her somehow worry. Not for herself though. Right now, she found herself worried for Ashe.

She knows her _'boyfriend'_ isn't really the bravest of the brave. The incident at the restaurant didn't really reassure her fully. Katarina isn't even sure why she's actually worried for Ashe, her **faux** boyfriend.

Yes, she sees Ashe as her friend. But, is it actually normal to worry about their friends like this? It's like her thoughts were invaded by Ashe, and currently, she still haven't found a way to stop these said thoughts.

So far, her brain has conjured up two things for her to do tomorrow.

She's going to thank her siblings for stopping her from doing something she would have regretted. After that, she's going to go to Ashe and see how she is.

With that decided, Katarina nodded to herself. She took another moment to stare outside the window and at the crying sky before looking down on the silver accessory around one of her fingers. She only possessed one thought as she gazed at the circular steel.

 _'I hope she's okay.'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** _: Hey, everyone! I really appreciated all your answers to my 'unusual' question. It's an embarrassing one, I know. But, it's for the story, so I hope that serves as a proper explanation and excuse. :P_

 _Thank you to all the people who reviewed. I totally love you, my awesome readers! ^3^_


	13. Chapter 13

**ACT 13**

Katarina stretched under the sheets of her bed as she awakened from her comfortable sleep. It took a few rubs on her eyes for her to fully wake up, and when she did, she sat up from her bed.

...

 _ **CLAP!**_

She jumped slightly as soon as the sound of thunder rang throughout her quiet bedroom. Her eyes darted towards the window, discovering that it's still raining.

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

"What?" Which is another term for _'Come in'_ for her siblings.

The door swung open and her two siblings entered, closing the door behind them as they did.

"Good. You're awake." Talon murmured.

"No shit, genius."

Ignoring her rude words, the two once again settled themselves at the foot of her bed. She didn't know if Cassiopeia and Talon had suddenly formed an alliance to purposely speak to her together, since the two of them are always together whenever one of them spoke to her. In the end, she brushed it off. Talon would be too smart to form an _'alliance'_ with the wrong sister, in her opinion.

When another clap of thunder originated from outside, she couldn't stop herself from inquiring from her siblings.

"Did the rain even stop?"

Cassiopeia shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, we just checked the forecast, and the news says that it's mostly a thunderstorm. Good news here is that the school suspended the classes for today."

Katarina groaned, causing her brother to look at her curiously.

"Is there something the matter, Katarina?"

"Yeah, usually you're happy when school is suspended."

"No, it's not that." She rubbed her eyes with her fingers, knowing she has to say whatever it is she needs to say. "Listen, I have something to tell you two."

"We're all ears." Cassiopeia spoke for herself and Talon.

Katarina rarely thanked her siblings, and whenever she did, she's usually sarcastic about it and never meant it. If she remembers correctly, then, this is the first time she would be giving her siblings a genuine thanks.

"I want to say... Thank you."

"Thank you?" Her siblings chorused in confusion.

"Yes," She grunted, not really wanting to prolong her thanks. "I'm thanking you two for stopping me."

"Stopping you?" Again, the two spoke in unison.

"If it weren't for you two, then I would have done the same thing that bitch had done to Ashe." Katarina murmured.

Cassiopeia and Talon exchanged a few short looks between each other before they finally put two and two together.

"Oh, you mean the time when Talon stopped you from slapping him and when we pointed out a lot of what nots?"

She sighed, sounding a bit exasperated. "Yes, that."

"It's what siblings do." Talon told her. "We may not be as close as the siblings from other families, but..."

"We look out for each other." Cassiopeia finished for their brother.

Katarina nodded. "Right..."

...

A moment of awkward silence.

...

"Now, if you two would leave my room, that would be appreciated." Katarina said in a half-sarcastic tone, gesturing at her bedroom's door briefly.

Cassiopeia lightly laughed at her before she and Talon followed her _'order'_ , giving her the privacy she _'nicely'_ requested. As soon as the door closed, she exhaled loudly, slumping on a pillow as she did.

 _'Who knew thanking those two idiots would be so... draining.'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe clenched her teeth in pain as Sierra turned the shower on, making cold drops of water rain down her bare body. Currently, her _'kind'_ stepmother is giving her a shower, and after this, she assumed that it's back to the closet for her.

"Put on some shampoo." Sierra ordered.

With trembling hands, she took the bottle from the side of the shower and squirted a small amount on her palms before putting the bottle back from where it should be. She began soaping her hair, but her teeth once again clenched when she felt Sierra roughly scrub her recently-whipped back with a towel.

Unknown to Sierra, Ashe's tears mixed with the water running down her face. The bath wasn't long, but it felt like an eternity of physical agony for her. After being painfully showered, Sierra sat her on a stool in front of the sink's mirror.

Sierra left the bathroom, only to come back with a hairdryer, a comb and a titanium pair of scissors. Humming a tune, Sierra dried her hair with a small towel and the hair dryer. As soon as it was dried, it was combed. After being combed, it was time for the scissors to play its part.

Ashe didn't dare move as Sierra began cutting her hair. The whole room was filled with snipping sounds of the shiny scissors as its sharp edges cleanly sliced her hair. She merely watched with bloodshot eyes as countless strands of her white hair fell to the tiled floor.

"I have to cut your hair." Sierra spoke from behind her. "You've been looking too feminine for my taste, so it can't be helped."

Ashe remained silent, mutely watching as her stepmother continued shortening her long hair.

 ** _Snip! Snip! Snip!_**

...

...

...

...

...

"All done." Sierra smiled to her through the mirror. "Now you look like a handsome boy again!"

"..."

When the older woman heard no response from her, the smile disappeared. In a flash, Sierra pulled her off the stool and dragged her towards her wooden closet.

Sierra yanked the doors open before shoving Ashe inside, tugging the towel away from her afterwards. She released a whimper when the cold air grazed her nude body.

"Learn to appreciate what I do for you, child." Sierra stated. "If you need to suffer in the cold to do so, then so be it."

With that, Sierra slammed the doors of the closet close, locking it from the outside with a broom once again.

"Reflect on your mistakes and actions, Ashe. You might actually learn from them."

Last thing Ashe heard was the sound of her bedroom's door being slammed close. She curled up in a ball and leaned on one of the walls of the closet, careful to not let her back make any physical contact with anything. When she was a child, she felt like she was being trapped inside a dark room whenever she's inside this closet.

But now, since she had already grown, she found it too cramped. It made her feel like she's trapped inside a box.

Ashe never did get a chance to get some sleep last night. Even now, she still jumped and flinched whenever the thunderclaps came and echoed. She reached over her shoulder and felt the tips of her now short hair at the back of her head.

She shivered as a chill ran through her form. Closing her eyes, she made futile attempts in ignoring the growling call of her stomach, the clapping of the thunder and finally, the coldness of the air that kept engulfing her naked body.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Ashe?" Katarina called, closing the door of the Avarosa's apartment behind her. She's been knocking for the past five minutes and of course she grew impatient and resorted in using the spare key she had acquired a few days ago.

She jumped in surprise when two screeches came. Whipping her head to the origin of it, she found two birds, one grand and ice blue-feathered and one smaller and red and black-feathered.

 _'She has pets?'_ She thought, raising an eyebrow at the two birds that stared at her.

Turning away from the birds, she walked around the apartment. She searched it for a few minutes, only giving up when she checked the last room in the apartment unit.

"Where the hell are you, Ashe?"

Katarina pulled out her cellphone from her pocket and scrolled through her contact list, stopping and pressing at the contact that went by the name _'Evaine'_. It only took two rings before the person answered.

"Something you need, Katarina?"

"Yeah, I need you to send me the address of the Avarosa family's estate."

"Oh?" The amusement in the speaker's tone is as clear as day. "What for?"

"Just send me the address."

"Hmm, how demanding of you. Well, wait for a moment."

 ** _Click!_**

Katarina stuffed her phone back inside her pocket, directing her attention to the two animals in the apartment with her right now.

Her gaze landed on the small cups that's supposedly filled with bird seeds. It's quite obvious that Ashe didn't go back here last night, since all she could see were traces of the devoured seeds.

Sighing, Katarina approached the birds and took the box of seeds from the side of one of the cages. Opening it, she filled the two cups with seeds before setting it back to where she found it. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, also refilling the water of the two birds.

As soon as she finished, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and checked it, seeing that she just received a text from the person she had recently spoken to.

It's the address of Ashe's family estate.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

After an hour of driving using her sister's Dodge Viper, Katarina finally arrived at her designated destination. The rain may have stopped, but the thunderclaps didn't seize. She parked at least a block away from the one she's aiming for to not call Sierra's attention.

She was just at least a few meters away from the front double doors when one of the doors opened. Katarina instantly jumped behind a nearby shrub from the neighboring mansion.

Despite her red hair sticking out from the green shrub like a sore thumb, Sierra, who was the one who exited the estate, didn't notice her. The woman merely proceeded towards the waiting car down the steps of the front door.

Katarina strained her ears just to hear Sierra speak to the maid that was holding the door of the car open for her.

"Ashe is at his room right now and is not to be disturbed. Understood?"

The maid bowed her head. "Yes, Miss Sierra."

After a minute, Sierra was finally gone and the maid was on her way back inside the estate. Katarina rushed out of her hiding place and jogged towards the maid.

"Hey!"

The maid instantly turned around.

"Is there something you need, ma'am?"

"I'm here to see Ashe." She bluntly stated.

The maid looked hesitant for a moment, but it was gone in a blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry, miss, but Master Ashe does not accept visitors."

"Cut the crap. I know Ashe doesn't have a dick and she's a girl, not a boy."

Surprisingly, the maid was quick to approach her and cover mouth with a hand, a panicked look in her eyes.

"H-How do you know about that?"

Katarina lightly slapped the maid's hand away. "Just let me see her."

"Listen, miss. Miss Sierra strictly said that Miss Ashe is to not be disturbed." The maid said, sounding as if she was pleading. Of course it didn't escape her attention that the maid had changed the formality she used when she referred to Ashe.

"I'm not leaving until I see and talk to her."

The maid bit her bottom lip nervously. "I'll... I'll notify Braum first. If he says yes...-!"

"Hurry up, then." She growled.

The young maid nodded and scurried into the house. Katarina climbed up the steps and stood idly near the door, arms crossed and one foot tapping impatiently.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Braum, the head of all the staff in the Avarosa estate slash Ashe's personal tutor, was on his way to Ashe's bedroom to check on the girl when a maid came to him and told him about an unwanted visitor outside the estate.

After dismissing the maid, Braum made his way down the grand steps of the estate, thinking to himself as he did.

"Hmm... A visitor for Miss Ashe? Well," He rubbed his chin with a finger. "This is certainly a first."

Reaching the front double doors of the estate, he opened one of them. He immediately notice the red haired female standing in front of him, looking pretty impatient.

"Afternoon, Miss." He greeted with his usual smile before stepping aside and ushering her to come in. "Please, come in."

The said female accepted the invitation with a grunt. As soon as the guest entered, he closed the door and gestured at the grand stairs.

"I am Braum! I am head of staff here and been tutoring Miss Ashe ever since she could walk." Braum offered a hand to the redhead. "You are?"

"Katarina Du Couteau," Katarina briefly shook his hand. "Daughter of General Du Couteau, and Ashe's school friend."

Braum released a hearty laugh. "Nice to see Miss Ashe make friends at school! Come, come! Braum shall take you to her!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina watched as Braum tried twisting the door knob of Ashe's bedroom for the umpteenth time. The man has been attempting to open the door for the past few minutes, but his effort ended up being a waste of time.

When Braum was about to try again, she cleared her throat to capture the older man's attention.

"My apologies, Miss Katarina, but it seems to me that Miss Sierra has locked it."

"Don't you have a key?" She asked in an _'as a matter of fact'_ manner.

Braum shook his head. "Braum may have keys, but not one of them is key for Miss Ashe's bedroom. Only Miss Sierra has said key."

Rolling her eyes, Katarina drew a swiss knife from her boot and approached the locked door. Braum took a few steps back, giving her space as she crouched in front of the door.

"May I know what you are doing?"

"Picking the lock, what else?"

...

...

...

 _ **Click!**_

Katarina hid her little tool back to its hiding place before standing up and turning the knob, opening the now unlocked door.

Braum was just about to compliment her... unusual display of skill when a maid came running down the hall.

"Mister Braum! Volibear is making a mess at the gardens again!"

"Oh," Braum turned to her. "Miss Katarina, I trust you can care for yourself from here."

"Duh."

Braum excused himself, leaving with the maid afterwards. Katarina, who is finally left alone, walked into Ashe's bedroom, closing the door as soon as she flicked the light switch on.

She looked around the wide room. Yes, it may be wide, but she found it rather... plain. It has a touch of blue, but it isn't anything special. In fact, it looked dull.

First thing that caught her attention was the bathroom's ajar door. She saw something on the floor, so she walked up to the bathroom connected to it. Slowly, she pushed the door open.

"Ashe?" She called out in a low volume.

No answer.

Instead of seeing her _'boyfriend'_ , all she saw were strands of familiar white hair littering the tiled floor. Her eyes scanned the cut locks that most probably was from Ashe.

 _'Did she cut her hair?'_

 _ **CLAP!**_

She exited the bathroom, cursing the thunderstorm under her breath for surprising her. When she walked out of the bathroom, she audited the room for the second time.

 _'Where the hell is she?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when another clap of thunder came. She froze, not because of surprise though. Katarina's gaze snapped towards the wooden closet, where a broom is currently hooked through the handles.

 _'It can't be...'_

...

...

...

 ** _CLAP!_**

Katarina dashed towards the closet, grabbing the broom and tossing it aside. Afterwards, she took hold of the metal handles and threw open the closet's doors.

Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the pale and shivering body of her pretend lover. There, in front of her, inside the closet, is Ashe, wearing not a single article of clothing.

"Ashe!"

Katarina crouched down and instantly tried lifting Ashe out of the closet. When she hooked an arm around Ashe's back, Ashe released a small yelp of pain, which caused her to pull her hands back.

"Ashe?"

"My... My back..." Ashe whispered in a shaky manner. "It... hurts..."

"You have to get up." She said. "I'll help you."

Ashe slowly wrapped her pale arms around her neck, and Katarina carefully lifted the other from the closet's floor. It was a slow process, but Katarina eventually got Ashe onto the bed. She let Ashe get used to the comfort of the bed before she checked the Avarosa's back.

Once again, her eyes widened when she saw the horrible marks on Ashe's once smooth back. With one finger, she stroked one of the marks, causing Ashe to let out a weak hiss. Katarina directed her attention to Ashe's face, brushing the bangs away with her fingers.

"What happened?"

Ashe shook her head. "Sierra happened..."

"Your hair..." Katarina breathed out as she looked at the short white hair Ashe now possessed.

"This is my punishment..."

"Punishment? For what?"

"For not... learning..."

"For not learning? Fuck! Ashe, listen to me." Using both of of her hands, she made her 'boyfriend' look at her. "What she's doing to you is wrong. _This_ is wrong!"

"I know..."

"Does your father even know about this?"

Ashe shook her head again.

"Why didn't you tell him? No one deserves this, Ashe! Not even you!"

...

...

...

"Is this... Is this why you don't complain about me?" She hesitantly asked. "About my treatment to you?"

...

Slowly, Ashe nodded.

"Fuck, Ashe..." Katarina clenched her teeth. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Instead of answering, Ashe let herself fall into Katarina arms, her own arms wrapping around the redhead.

"I can finally sleep..." Katarina heard Ashe whisper.

"Ashe..."

The weakened female's hold mildly tightened around her. "Thank you, Katarina... For being here... again..."

After those words were uttered, Ashe lost her consciousness, leaving Katarina to hold her cold form. Carefully, Katarina wrapped her arms around Ashe's bare form, keeping the unconscious Avarosa warm with her body heat.

She cradled Ashe's scarred self, guilt filling her body as she recalled all the times she was abusive towards Ashe. Yes, it may not be as intense and painful as Sierra's version of abuse, but still.

No matter what she does, she cannot undo what she had already done. All she can do or say now is...

"I'm sorry..."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Alkove walked up to the steps of the estate, handing his suitcase to the butler that met him halfway. He loosened his tie as he entered the Avarosa estate, only to be greeted by the mansion's chief of staff.

"Braum."

"Master Alkove."

"Is Ashe still here?"

Braum nodded. "Yes."

"She stayed the night?"

"Yes."

"Is she awake?"

This time, Braum shook his head. "Not at all, Master Alkove. But, she has friend with her as we speak."

Alkove, who already has one foot on the first step of the main stairs, halted his movement. He turned back to Braum, a quizzical look on his face.

"I thought you said she's asleep."

"She is."

"Then, why does she have a friend with her?" Alkove asked, sounding completely confused.

Braum released a deep chuckle. "A girl, Miss Katarina, had come here and visited her. She also helped Miss Ashe sleep through thunderstorm."

Alkove's eyebrows shot up, a surprised look on his face, which caused the bigger man to chuckle again.

"I was surprised too. Braum thinks Miss Ashe has found someone special, no?"

Alkove couldn't help but smile. His daughter that was always locked inside this damned estate, has finally found a friend that she actually takes comfort in during a thunderstorm.

Ashe's father knew that she's utterly afraid of thunder, so he was taken by surprise when Braum told him about his daughter's new friend. Katarina, was it?

"Erm... Master Alkove?"

Alkove snapped out of his little daze and refocused himself. He turned back to Braum, a silent inquiring question in his eyes.

"Yes, Braum?"

"Miss Sierra had locked Miss Ashe in her room again."

The warm feeling Alkove was feeling suddenly disappeared and was replaced with an angered emotion.

"What!?"

"I could not open door without assistance from Miss Ashe's friend."

"What did she do?"

"She picked the lock."

...

"What?"

Braum climbed the grand stairs, ushering Ashe's father to follow him. Without missing a beat, Alkove followed the chief of staff.

Alkove and Braum knew about Ashe being locked in her room. It was a happening that they've come across quite often, more than they're comfortable with, honestly. But, no one knew about the physical abuse Sierra puts Ashe through.

Only the victim knew the truth. And said victim always keeps it under wraps as much as possible. To the point where Ashe lies to her father just to keep the abuse a secret.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe was enjoying one of the most comfortable sleep she has ever had. Despite being asleep, she could feel a comforting warmth wrapped around her. She didn't have to be awake to know what, or to be specific, who, it is. The scent of roses was enough to serve as a confirmation.

It didn't take long for her to leave her slumber though, since her eyes fluttered open after a few waiting moments. First thing she saw was a zipped-up leather jacket that looked awfully familiar to her. While she stared at the black material, she could feel one arm wound around her securely and one hand brushing through her hair soothingly.

Slowly, oh so slowly, she raised her head, ending up in looking into a pair of emerald eyes that she knew so well.

"Hey." Katarina whispered in greeting to her, brushing away a few short strands of hair from her face.

"Hi." She whispered back.

For a long moment, the two of them merely stared at each other, and Ashe silently savoured the warmth Katarina's body gave off.

...

...

...

 ** _Growl!_**

Ashe felt her face heat up as blood rushed to it. She lowered her gaze in mild embarrassment. Katarina raised an eyebrow.

"Hungry?" The redhead inquired.

She silently nodded, still feeling quite flustered with how loud her stomach had asked for food.

"Come on, then." Katarina made a move to pull her up in a sitting position.

As soon as her _'girlfriend'_ helped her up, she felt the air graze the whip marks on her back, which caused the said marks to mildly sting. She released a low grunt, which of course, didn't go unexpected by the redhead.

"Your back still hurts?"

She nodded again before pointing towards one of the drawers of the bedside table. "Can you get the ointment there?"

Katarina didn't even bother asking questions. Next thing Ashe knew, Katarina was presenting to her a healing ointment that she had taken from the drawer she had pointed to.

"Is this it?"

"Mm-hm."

"Need help applying it on your back?"

She offered a small and somewhat weakened smile. "Yes, please."

"Turn around."

With Katarina's assistance, Ashe spun herself around until her back was facing her _'girlfriend'_. It was only now that she noticed that she wore nothing, therefore, showing off her body to her faux lover. She was a bit thankful that she's currently turned away from Katarina, giving the red haired female no chance in seeing her blushing face.

Knowing that Katarina doesn't have any interest in men, she became a little conscious with her body. She wondered what Katarina actually thinks of it. Is it beautiful? Is it ugly?

 _'Probably ugly.'_ She thought, becoming a bit saddened.

She slightly jumped when she felt Katarina's ointment-covered fingers rub against her whipped back, suppressing a hiss of pain in the process. Instead of hissing or grunting in pain, Ashe ended up giving out a small whimper.

"Does it hurt?" Katarina asked as she softly rubbed her back with the ointment.

"A bit, yes."

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

Katarina resumed with her task, and while doing so, she touched a sensitive spot yet again, which caused Ashe to let out another whimper.

"Sorry." Katarina apologized again.

Without saying anything, she nodded her head once again.

Ashe felt somewhat bothered. Katarina is never one for apologizing, especially not as much as she is doing so right now. It made her curious on what the reason behind this sudden change from the other female.

Before Ashe could ponder more about the change in Katarina, the door of her bedroom opened, revealing her father and Braum at the doorway.

Ashe instantly grabbed her bed's duvet and held it against her nude body as temporary cover. Behind her, Katarina froze completely, both hands glued to her bare back.

Braum murmured something along the lines of preparing lunch before leaving, while Alkove raised an eyebrow at her and the red haired Du Couteau.

"Umm... I can... explain?"

Alkove raised a hand and shook his head, not really wanting to know why her daughter is naked with another person. He's actually just thankful that the other person is a female. "I'll see you and your... friend downstairs for lunch."

Her father grabbed the knob and closed the door, leaving Ashe and Katarina alone with each other once again.

...

"That was..."

"Awkward?" Katarina suggested in a mutter.

"Awkward, yes."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**


	14. Chapter 14

**ACT 14**

The two females walked down the hall in silence. Katarina has her right hand halfway buried inside her pocket while her left hand dangled to her side. Beside her, Ashe was already wearing the clothes a maid had delivered earlier, which consists of a pair of fitted jeans and a white shirt that unintentionally emphasized her chest due to its size.

Katarina mentally gave herself a pat on the back for throwing the bandages at Ashe's room inside the nearest trash bin she found. Since Ashe couldn't find her bandages, she won't be able to constrict her chest like she usually does.

It was rare for Katarina to actually see Ashe in form-fitting clothes and with her chest all free and unrestrained. The sports bra the maid had provided, which Ashe is currently wearing underneath the shirt, did no justice in making her generous bust look less tempting to her.

 _'This is the reason why I like she's rather than he's.'_ She thought to herself.

As they silently walked, she kept sparing glances at her beautiful companion. Ashe's hair may have been cut short and was styled to look like a guy's hairdo, but her body is as feminine as it could get.

Just look at Katarina. She can't stop herself from ogling at Ashe from the side.

"It's too bad your stupid stepmother cut your hair." She abruptly said, before muttering lowly. "You would have looked hotter if you have longer hair."

Ashe, who didn't seem to hear the words she had muttered, merely stroked the hair on the back of her head before she shook her head.

"My hair grows fast. Give it a few weeks or so, and it'll be back to its long length." Ashe then sighed. "That is, if Sierra doesn't cut it again."

When silence came and invaded them again, Katarina continued sneaking glances at Ashe. Each glance becoming longer than before and next thing she knew, she was practically gawking at Ashe blatantly.

"Is it really shocking for you to see me like this?"

"Uh, wha...?" When Katarina realized how idiotic she sounded, she shook her head and cleared her throat, composing herself before she spoke. "What do you mean?"

"You've been looking at me for more than just a few times now. Is it because my breast isn't bandaged?" Consciously, Ashe placed a hand on her chest.

"Not... really..." Katarina turned away and used some of her red hair to hide behind in. "I'm just not used to seeing you look like, well, this."

After she briefly gestured at Ashe's form, she let her left hand dangle idly to her side again. Ashe looked down to herself for a moment before turning her gaze to Katarina.

"Does it not suit me? Being a girl and all?" Ashe asked. "Do I look... ugly?"

"It's the opposite, actually."

"You... really think so?"

She nodded once. "In fact, you look beautiful."

Blushing, Ashe looked away, trying to hide her blush as much as she can from the redhead.

Katarina fake-coughed as she avoided looking at Ashe's direction. She didn't know what possessed her to say that, to compliment Ashe, but she didn't regret it. She did truly meant what she said.

"Katarina, may I ask?"

"Shoot."

"How did you know that you don't, er, prefer men?" Ashe asked after a small moment quiet walking.

She scratched the back of her head. "I just... knew."

"No, umm... How were you so sure?"

"My... reason is stupid."

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Ashe said, giving her a look of encouragement.

"No, I'm serious. It's really _really_ stupid."

"I won't know if it is if you don't tell me."

"You sure you want to know?"

Ashe nodded. "Positive."

She sighed.

 _'You asked for this, Avarosa.'_

Katarina took a breath before answering.

"I don't like dicks. I like pussy."

...

...

...

"O-Oh..."

Katarina risked a small peek to her side to see Ashe's reaction, and there, she saw Ashe's face looking completely beet-red.

If she were to say this to Ashe at the first day they met, she probably wouldn't have given a damn about what Ashe would think of it, and of her, for the matter. But now, she can feel her face become warmer than usual.

"That's, um... an unusual... reason."

"Told you it was stupid." She grumbled, still feeling a bit...

 _'Wait a minute... Am I actually embarrassed?'_ Katarina was tempted to conk her own head with a fist of hers. _'What the hell is happening to you, Du Couteau?'_

"It's rather... vulgar than what I had thought, but," Ashe laughed awkwardly. "I guess we have our own way in wording our, umm, interest."

"What about you?" Katarina asked, steering their conversation in a slightly different course.

"What about me?"

"Which do you prefer?"

"What do you mean?"

Seeing that Ashe is still a bit flustered with her answer earlier, she decided to poke a little fun at the white haired female.

"Do you prefer dick or pussy?"

Ashe's face turned in ten different shades of red as soon as she finished her question.

"D-D-D-Do I have t-to answer that n-now?" Ashe stuttered in embarrassment.

"It's only fair that you do, since I answered your question earlier."

Ashe began fiddling with her fingers. "Umm... I..."

"I'm waiting."

"Umm, uhh..."

"Well?"

"I guess I like... pussy." The shade of Ashe's blush darkened significantly and Katarina can't help but laugh at her _'boyfriend'_.

"Pfft! You...! You actually said it." Katarina held her face with a hand as she tried her best to prevent herself from bursting out with laughter.

"W-Well...! Y-You did ask!"

"You know you could have just told me you like girls, right?"

...

...

...

Despite her blushing face, Ashe tried her best to glare at Katarina.

"I hate you."

"I love you too." Katarina said without really thinking.

...

...

...

Realization came.

Then, the awkward silence.

...

...

...

Yes, it may have been a joking reply, but when Katarina realized what she had just said, she couldn't help but cause her face to warm up yet again.

 _'Why, oh why, do the Heavens hate me?'_ She asked herself through thought as she took a short glance at Ashe, finding the Avarosa blushing madly.

 _'Why does it feel like I'm crossing an obstacle course filled with unexpected traps whenever I talk to her?'_

Katarina took her gaze back and just settled on watching her feet take one step at a time.

 _'Maybe because she's different._ '

She felt her heart rate increase.

 _'She's one of a kind.'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

After Ashe's _'interesting'_ conversation with Katarina, they finally arrived at the dining room of the estate. Just as she expected, what her father didn't notice earlier, is the first thing he noticed now. Her new haircut.

"What...! What happened to your hair?" Her father questioned, a horrified look in his eyes.

"Umm... It's a long story."

"Your stupid wife abused her." Katarina deadpanned.

"Katarina!" She hissed, shooting a look at her 'girlfriend'.

"What!?" Alkove's eyes widened.

"Listen, it was nothing, and...-!"

"Wait a sec," Katarina suddenly cut her off. "Your father doesn't know about all the abuse?"

"What do you mean _'all the abuse'_?" Alkove questioned.

She looked away and murmured lowly. "It's complicated, alright?"

"Does Sierra physically abuse you, Ashe?" Her father asked her.

Ashe saw Katarina open her mouth to answer for her, but when she shot a pleading look towards the redhead, the expression on Katarina's face changed.

"Sorry, bad joke." Katarina muttered.

It was clearly seen that the older man in front of them visibly relaxed, looking completely relieved with Katarina's words.

"I just wanted to try this style again," She told her father. "I sort of missed it."

Her father seemed to be convinced with what she just said, and Katarina had to resist herself from rolling her eyes at the situation. Next thing they both knew, the three of them were settled at the table.

Before any conversation between the three of them could start though, someone from the office called Alkove, causing the man to excuse himself from the room. As soon as he left to take the call though, Katarina instantly began a little talk with Ashe.

"What the hell was that about?"

"What was what about?" Ashe asked back, acting clueless.

Katarina narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't play dumb with me, Avarosa. Why didn't you tell your father about that bitch abusing you?"

Frowning, Ashe looked down to her lap and fiddled with her fingers, repeating her reason earlier. "It's complicated."

"Explain it to me, then. I would love to know why you keep hiding this _lovely_ treatment your oh so nice stepmother gives you."

Disregarding the sarcasm Katarina used, she still answered back with her gaze still trained on her lap.

"My father married Sierra to prevent the bankruptcy of the family company years ago. Now that they're married, if they are to divorce now, Sierra won't hesitate to take half of the company and its assets, which will drive the business back to the edge."

"Do you really care for the business? That's not your problem, Ashe! It's your father's, not yours."

"A lot of people work in Freljord Corporation. If it were to go bust, countless people will lose their jobs. What about them? Didn't you think about them?"

"So, you'd rather suffer all this abuse for people you don't even know?"

"If that's what it takes to keep the company running, then yes."

Katarina laid back to her chair, looking at her with disbelief. "I can't believe you'd just... endure. Are you really that selfless?"

"It doesn't matter." She muttered. "Even without the business on the line, I wouldn't have fought back to Sierra."

"Why?" Katarina questioned her, staring at her with an 'are you stupid?' look.

"I'm afraid of her."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina felt the urge to choke the living daylight out of Ashe as they conversed with each other. She was never one for patience, and just by Ashe's attitude, it was running thin.

"Why are you afraid of her?"

"I... just am."

"Why?" She gestured to the doorway of the dining room where Ashe's father had exited through earlier. "Your father's there."

"He won't be there all the time."

"Of course he will be! He's your goddamn father!"

"No, he won't be. He can only protect me for so long..."

"How would you know?"

"He has a severe heart problem."

...

...

...

Katarina stared at her _'boyfriend'_ as Ashe frowned deeply, looking like she was about to cry.

"Braum told me two months ago," Ashe whispered. "My father only has a few months left to live before... Before his heart gives up."

"..." Katarina looked down to her own lap, not wanting to look at Ashe.

"I already lost my mother before I even met her, Katarina, and... I know I'm going lose my father in the near future."

"I'm... I'm sorry."

Ashe shook her head, gaze still lowered.

"Even though it's Sierra that's going to be left with me, then I'll endure it."

She just had to ask...

"Why?"

"I may be afraid of Sierra... I may be afraid of thunder... But, I'm more afraid of being left alone."

Katarina slowly lifted her head and faced Ashe, who sat directly across her. She looked into Ashe's eyes and saw the fear and the sadness that resided within. She didn't even notice that Alkove returned.

Honestly, her mind went into full auto-pilot mode, because only one memory kept running through her head.

When she was six years old, someone had set the Du Couteau estate on fire. That someone was responsible for the death of their mother. That someone even came close in killing Cassiopeia, Talon and General Du Couteau. That someone caused the three to be put in the hospital for weeks to recover.

That someone is Katarina herself.

Ever since that day, Katarina saw a future where she had no one to turn to, no one to depend on. That incident became the sole reason why she developed her worst fear.

Being alone.

 _'Just like Ashe.'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Bye, father." Ashe bid, giving her father a goodbye hug.

"Goodbye, Ashe. Oh, and remember, your car is back at your apartment. I had it delivered there last night."

Ashe nodded and said another goodbye before she climbed down the steps. To avoid burdening her father, and to at least leave without Sierra questioning or firing anyone from the household staff, Ashe and Katarina decided to take a cab to get home.

She waved farewell to her father as the cab drove out of the estate's gates. Ashe turned her attention to her seatmate as soon as her childhood home was nowhere in her line of vision.

"Katarina?"

It may not have look like it, but Ashe did noticed Katarina acting a bit... dazed during lunch. The redhead seemed to be distracted with something, and as a friend, it made Ashe worry.

"Hey," She placed a hand on top of Katarina's right one. "Are you alright?"

Katarina, who was in a trance, abruptly snapped to attention and immediately focused her attention on her.

"What?"

"Are you alright?" She repeated her question. "You seem to be a little... out lately. Is there something bothering you?"

"Not really." Katarina muttered.

"Was it because of our conversation earlier?"

"Sort of."

"Oh..."

Ashe played with her fingers again, a habit she's been doing quite often lately. Unexpectedly, Katarina decided to speak and continue their talk.

"When you told me that you were scared in being alone, it made me realize that we actually have something in common, for once."

She directed her gaze to Katarina. "I'm surprised."

Katarina let out a half sarcastic laugh. "Surprised that we have something in common?"

"Surprised that you're actually afraid of something."

"Everyone has their fears. I'm no exception to that."

"I thought you'd be."

"Well, I'm not."

...

...

...

...

...

"Did you mean it?" Katarina abruptly asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Mean what?"

"I know I already asked you that time if you meant it, but I have to hear it now."

"Katarina, what are you talking about?" She asked, completely clueless with what the redhead is referring to.

"Your promise," Katarina murmured, rolling the ring around her finger as she spoke. "Did you mean it?"

And suddenly, Ashe wasn't so clueless anymore. She wondered why Katarina would ask her about that now, but she didn't bother pondering about the matter presently.

"Of course I meant it."

"How would I now that you didn't lie?"

"I would never lie with my promises. If I promise something, I keep it. No matter what the circumstances are."

"What's the point of making a promise that has an expiration date?" Katarina muttered.

"Expiration date?"

"Yeah. After these three months are over, you won't be there anymore. You'll probably get together with Riven, probably become happy with her, hang out with your friends and... whatever."

Ashe wordlessly watched as Katarina scowled at her lap.

"Do whatever you want after this deal." Katarina murmured, or more like grumbled. "It's not like I care."

The scowl on her pretend girlfriend's face didn't falter. It only became more pronounced and obvious to anyone who would look at Katarina.

"I promised to you that I'll always be here for you, so I will be. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here. And if I recall correctly, no matter what happens, I will never give up on you."

Ashe reached out a hand and intertwined it with one of Katarina's.

"Not now, not ever."

Katarina merely stared at her with a stoic face before looking out to the window. But what Ashe didn't notice, is that Katarina didn't make an effort in pulling her hand away from hers. In fact, Katarina's hand tightened into a firm grip.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina didn't reply back or utter anything in return to what Ashe had told her, and she was thankful she didn't.

Why?

Because she probably would have not had anything to say.

How many people have promised something like that to her?

Zero.

Well, if she doesn't count Ashe, that is.

She gripped Ashe's hand tighter than necessary, and she silently hoped Ashe didn't notice. She only did it because she felt this strong possessive feeling that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Katarina guessed that it may be because Ashe is the first genuine friend she has ever had. Her siblings doesn't count, of course.

Morgana and Elise aren't really her friends. She mostly considers those two as _'close acquaintances'_ , that's it. Darius, Draven and Sion though, she really just sees those three as acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less.

She mentally scoffed at herself.

 _'How pathetic, Katarina. You're actually possessive over a mere friend.'_ A voice identical to hers mocked her inside her head.

Katarina resisted the urge to huff. She felt pathetic, really. But she didn't mind. For her only friend, for Ashe, a little _'pathetic-ness'_ is worth it.

Unconsciously, her grip around Ashe's hand tightened significantly.

 _'For my friend.'_

Friend...

Friend...

Friend...

How long will they stay friends?

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _I hope all of you are enjoying the story. :)_


	15. Chapter 15

**ACT 15**

Katarina huffed before blowing some of her hair away from her face. Currently, she's leaning on the doorway of the kitchen with her bag's strap slung on one shoulder, while she has one finger dipped and swirling around inside the round fishbowl, causing the the goldfish residing inside to float around in a circular motion helplessly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cassiopeia asked as she climbed down the stairs with her school bag. "Are you trying to murder Goldie the Fifth now?"

Katarina wanted to laugh at Cassiopeia's choice of name for the poor goldfish that she's playing with as they spoke, but fortunately for both of them, she's not in the mood to tease and irritate her sibling.

"I'm bored."

"Feed your bird."

"Already did."

Last night, Ashe had given her the lovebird that was named after her. She tried changing the bird's name when she got home, but it wouldn't respond to any names she suggested to it. In the end, she found herself stuck with a creature that has the same name as her.

"Then go to school."

"Can't."

"And why can't you?"

"Ashe isn't here yet."

"What time did he even say he'll arrive?"

"Seven o'clock."

Her sister glanced at the nearest wall clock before speaking with a deadpan expression.

"It's only six-thirty, dimwit."

"I know."

"Did you have your breakfast yet?"

"Cereal."

"What time did you even wake up?"

"Five-thirty."

"What the fuck, Katarina? That's too early. Especially for you."

"I know."

"I haven't even eaten any breakfast! Why, of all things holy and cursed, are you already, well, ready?" Cassiopeia questioned her in disbelief. "Talon isn't even up yet!"

"I'm waiting for Ashe."

Before she could swirl her finger around for the umpteenth time, Cassiopeia abruptly grabbed one of her arms and tugged her towards the kitchen.

Katarina let her sister settle her on one of the kitchen stools before said sibling started fixing up her own bowl of cereal.

"You're going to stay here until either Ashe arrives early or I finish eating breakfast."

She placed her right elbow on the kitchen island and perched her chin on her palm. "I'm still bored."

"Well, I can't really have you actually drown my goldfish, now can I?" Cassiopeia sarcastically said, flashing a completely sardonic smile at her.

"It won't drown. It's a fish."

"With the swirling speed you were going, I'm pretty sure Goldie the Fifth will be the first fish to drown, in like, ever."

Katarina huffed. "Whatever."

"Why are you even prepared so early? You're never early."

"I just wanted to try a change of pace."

"Hmm, like I'd buy that."

"Don't believe me?"

Cassiopeia smirked at her. "Excited for your boyfriend to pick you up?"

It took Katarina short moment to reply, but it didn't seem to make her sister suspicious or anything of that sort.

"So what if I am? Got a problem with it?"

"No, no, not at all." Cassiopeia stirred her cereal with a spoon. "When are you planning on introducing Ashe to our father?"

She shrugged. "As soon as he has the time to spare."

"That'll be a while."

"Hopefully within these three months." She muttered under breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." She denied casually.

"Did you hear about the rumors spreading around school?" Her green haired sister asked after eating a few spoonfuls of cereal.

"What rumors?"

"The rumors involving your smart, and not to mention, rich, handsome, charming and utterly alluring boyfriend."

"If I didn't knew better, I'd say you actually have an interest on my boyfriend." She said, raising an eyebrow at her sibling.

"Well, he _is_ the complete package."

"Oh, if only you knew the real him." As she said this, her eyes trailed to the side.

Katarina began recalling the memory, the image, of Ashe wearing those skin-tight jeans and the fitted shirt that hugged her bust temptingly. Despite her seeing Ashe in her au natural self, she never did ogle at the Avarosa fully. She was too busy taking care of the person, so of course she wouldn't have time to think about it. But then, she gave herself a mental slap on the back of her head.

 _'Don't think about her like that, you pervert.'_

...

...

She realized something.

 _'Oh my god... I'm scolding myself for checking my friend out. Ashe is clearly rubbing off on me.'_

Ashe plus rub, plus her, equals...-!

 _'Fuck, no! Don't just conjure up random...-!'_

"EARTH to Katarina!" Cassiopeia practically shouted.

She abruptly snapped out of her trance and refocused her attention to her sibling.

"What?"

Her sister lifted an eyebrow at her. "Where did you go?"

"What do you mean? I never left."

"Yeah, right. Like I'd believe that."

She never got a chance to reply before her sibling broke out a teasing smirk yet again.

"Were you thinking about Ashe?"

Katarina's face immediately warmed up before she can do anything about it. "N-No!"

 _'Fuck! I stuttered!'_

"Oh, you are priceless, Kata!" Cassiopeia laughed.

"Shut up!" She growled, trying to look threatening while making an internal effort to banish her blush.

"Don't be embarrassed. He _is_ your boyfriend, so it's really normal that you fantasize about him."

"I wasn't fantasizing about him!"

"Well, enough about that," Cassiopeia waved a dismissive hand half-heartedly. "Back to our original topic."

Katarina grabbed the cookie jar from the side and opened it, grabbing a cookie and biting it in the most angry way possible. She grunted lowly as a form of reply, while she slightly hugged the cookie jar against her.

For a moment, Cassiopeia actually felt bad for the cookie Katarina munched on.

"Have you heard about the rumors concerning your prince charming?"

"What rumors?" She grumbled with a scowl as she chewed her cookie.

"Word is going around that Riven has a thing for Ashe, and some say that it's mutual~!" Cassiopeia said in sing-song manner, while she pointed and waved her spoon at her. "You think it's true?"

 _'It is.'_ She thought.

"'Course not, idiot."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Ashe is loyal, alright?" She finished her cookie. "He loves me and I love him."

Katarina looked down into the cookie jar for a moment, and when she raised her head, Cassiopeia was halfway on the table and face was inches away from hers.

"Look me in the eye, Kata! Look me in the eye and tell me that you love your boyfriend."

"What the fuck, Cass!?"

"Well? If you really love him, say it."

"Why should I?"

"Unless," Cassiopeia narrowed her green eyes at her. "This is all... fake?"

 _'How the hell did she even...-!'_

 ** _Ding! Dong!_**

 _'Saved by the fucking bell!'_

"Ashe is here!" She swiftly jumped off her stool, merely giving Cassiopeia a split-second to back away.

"Hey, Kat...-!" Cassiopeia tried calling.

"I'm leaving!" She cut off as she made her way to the front door of their family mansion. Katarina is NOT planning on having this _'stare down'_ whatever with her sister.

"Hey!"

Katarina ignored her sibling and just made a mad dash towards the door to greet her _'boyfriend'_ , who is also her _'saviour'_ from her prying sibling.

She grabbed one of the knobs and pulled it open, revealing Ashe, who is, of course, dressed in men's clothes. For a moment, she found herself staring at the white haired female and imagining her desirable body in her head.

"Katarina?" Ashe spoke with a tilt of her head.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Why are you holding a..." Ashe leaned forward a bit, gaze focused downward. "...cookie jar?"

She whipped her stare downward, and just like what Ashe had asked, she realized that she is currently holding a cookie jar in her hands. Beside her, Cassiopeia opened the other door and leaned on it.

"I tried telling her, but apparently, she was too excited to see you."

"Shut up," She glared at her sister, pushing her embarrassment down as much as she can. She then shoved the jar to Cassiopeia's arms. "Here."

Katarina didn't give Ashe an opportunity to say anything. Instead, she grabbed the first thing she got her hands on, which is Ashe's left hand, and practically dragged her to Ashe's parked car.

"Bye, Cassiopeia." Ashe bid with a brief wave.

Cassiopeia couldn't help but grin as she nodded her head. "See you later, Ashe."

The green haired Du Couteau watched as Ashe's sports car drove out of their property. It didn't take long before she turned away and walked back inside the house, cookie jar in her grasp.

"Oh, Kata," She said to the air. "It looks like you lost your heart."

"Who lost what?"

Cassiopeia turned her gaze to the main stairs and found Talon, all dressed and groomed, walking down.

"Nothing."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina looked like a petulant child on the front passenger seat, arms crossed and gaze turned away from her companion. She's still too focused on mulling over her view of Ashe.

 _'She's my friend.'_ She concluded. _'Yeah, definitely just a friend.'_

To prove her point, she decided to poke at Ashe's feelings, hoping to get something out of her little _'boyfriend'_.

"Hey, you like Riven, right?" She spoke out all of a sudden, slightly surprising Ashe, who actually expected an awkward drive to their school.

This time, Ashe didn't become a flustered and flushed mess like from before. Ashe merely shrugged.

"I admit, I may have a crush on her."

"You're not sure anymore?"

Again, Ashe shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, when I thought about her at first, I would blush and all, but recently, it's been different."

"Different? How?"

"I can't really explain it. It's just that, I think I may be interested in someone else."

"And that someone is?"

Unexpectedly, Ashe turned to her and smiled, confusing her even more.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

After those words, their conversation ended. Ashe hummed with the tune of the music playing through the car's speakers in a low volume, while Katarina ended up just staring out through the window, thinking.

 _'If Riven's not Ashe's crush anymore, then who?'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

The wind blew gently against them, causing their hair to mildly lift up and wave around the breeze. Katarina grumbled under her breath, while Ashe spared glances at her. They're currently at the rooftop right now, and since no one really desired to have lunch there, they have the place all to themselves.

Ashe had asked her earlier if she could have lunch where they presently are now. She ended up giving her permission and coming with Ashe in the process, since she didn't want to see Cassiopeia for the time being.

She watched as Ashe ate her lunch and wrote on her notebook at the same time, having not a single trouble in multi-tasking. When she realized that she was staring at Ashe longer than normal, she shifted her gaze back to the lunch Ashe had made and cooked for her.

Despite being a bit distracted, her mind still revolved around the fact that someone else has captured Ashe's attention. She started wondering who the person could be.

 _'The only possible choices are her friends.'_ She thought quietly.

Caitlyn?

 _'Long shot. She would never cheat on Vi.'_

Vi?

 _'Why did I even thought of her? That pink menace is head over heels for Caitlyn.'_

Orianna?

 _'She's in a relationship with Blitzcrank right now, so that's a no.'_

Lux?

 _'Hmm...'_

"Is it Lux?" She abruptly vocalized, eyes intently focused on a rather surprised Avarosa.

"Is Lux what?" Ashe asked back in confusion.

"Is she the one that you have a crush on?"

"I don't know where you got that conclusion, but no, Katarina, she's not the one."

"Then, who?" She questioned, sounding a bit annoyed. "You only talk with a handful of girls, and since Riven is out of the question...-!"

"Oh, no, I'm still thinking on courting Riven when all of this is over." Ashe cut off in the politest way possible.

"You're thinking about it?"

"Mm-hm."

"Then," Her eyebrows furrowed in mild bafflement. "What about the other person you're interested in?"

"I'm still not sure about that, actually."

"Riven first, then?"

"Yes."

"So, is she just for fun or...?"

Ashe made a slightly horrified look. "Of course not! I fully plan on giving it my all if we do start a relationship. That is, if I ever succeed in courting her."

"And if it doesn't work out?"

"If it doesn't work out, then at least I get to say I tried and won't have any regrets in the future."

"Oh, sure." Katarina couldn't help but roll her eyes at Ashe's words. "But still, who's your other crush?"

Ashe, who tried resuming in eating her lunch and writing on her notebook, softly sighed and turned to her with a small and somewhat amused smile on her face.

"Why are you even so curious about that?"

Just in time, she suppressed the blush that threatened to paint her cheeks. In her mind, she can't help but notice that she's been blushing quite often lately.

"What, can't a friend know who her friend is interested in?"

"This friend is rather persistent."

"The friend aims to please." She shot back.

Ashe sighed again before succumbing and raising a finger. "I'll give you **ONE** hint, that's it."

"One hint is all I need." She arrogantly stated, almost automatically smirking.

"The person that I like is my first everything."

"Your first what?" She made a face. "What does that suppose to mean?"

Her _'boyfriend'_ shrugged and returned her attention back to her activity, leaving Katarina to stick with the only hint Ashe gave her.

"Your hint is shit, you know."

 ** _Tap!_**

She froze when she felt Ashe lightly tap her pen on her lips.

"Don't even think I haven't been noticing your cursing, Katarina."

"One more hint?"

Ashe narrowed her eyes playfully at her.

"You're stepping over the line, my friend."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _It's a bit short, I know. :P_


	16. Chapter 16

**ACT 16**

It's Ashe and Katarina's first monthsary. Therefore, they've been _'officially'_ a _'couple'_ for one month, much to the Avarosa's realization.

Throughout their one-month of pretend relationship, Ashe has learned quite a lot about Katarina. Not only because the redhead tells her, but because Cassiopeia and surprisingly, Talon, tells her a few things about their sister.

She had learned that Katarina's taste in music goes from rock to sentimental, and she hates classical. She loves roses and its scent. Obviously, it's her favorite. She loves chocolates, but she only likes the dark kind of ones. She also knew that Katarina loves the bacon-wrapped mushroom she had made supposedly for herself and she was demanded to make her one at least three times a week.

She had even discovered that Katarina's main and favorite hobby is throwing knives at innocent trees whenever she has free time. Although, based from what she had heard, Katarina likes living targets more.

Enough about Katarina for a moment.

Lately, Ashe has grown quite close to Riven. The two have been spending an awful lot of time during weekends, with and without their friends. Their times together ranging from just a night-out with friends, or just a little get-together study time between the two of them.

Half of Ashe was excited that she has only two months until she and Katarina _'breaks up'_. She knew that after two months, she'll finally get a chance to ask Riven out on an official date.

Of course she's still thinking about how she's going to tell Riven her true gender, but other than that, she anticipates that hers and Riven's possible relationship will be smooth-sailing when they get around that.

It also made her happy that Katarina supports her with it. The redhead may not show it so openly, and Ashe didn't bother asking her to do so. After all, she loves Katarina just the way she is. Well, as a friend, that is.

Speaking of Katarina, she learned that her 'girlfriend' is actually part of the Black Rose. At first, when Katarina told her about that, she was afraid for merely a few seconds.

Why just a few seconds?

She knew Katarina would never hurt her.

Well, there were times Katarina threatened to choke her for tapping her lips whenever she cursed and used profanities, but Katarina never really meant it.

Or at least, Ashe thinks she doesn't mean it.

Katarina was actually forced to tell Ashe about her involvement with the Black Rose, since one time, Katarina had came to school with one of her arms in a cast. Ashe asked about it, and the redhead said that she merely fell down the stairs. Despite Katarina telling that to her in the most convincing way possible, Ashe wasn't fully sold with her reasoning. Thus, Katarina ended up telling her everything about the Black Rose.

Today, she has one important thing to do.

She doesn't know if Katarina will like the gift she had bought, but hopefully, she does. It's a weekend, so she has to drop off her gift at the Du Couteau residence.

This made her remember that despite her being _'in a relationship'_ with Katarina, she hadn't met her father, General Marcus Du Couteau. The man is a rather busy general and rarely goes home early enough for Ashe to meet him whenever she visited Katarina.

 _'Maybe this is the day I'm going to meet him.'_ She thought, drying her white hair as she exited her bathroom, already wearing a pair of denim pants that are obviously for men and bust already bandaged.

Her hair had already grown significantly, despite the fact that it's only been a few weeks. She blamed the fast development on one of the hair products her father had delivered to her. It was an expensive shampoo that accelerated her hair's growth, and based from her hair's present length, the item is legit.

In addition, the fact that her hair actually grows fast naturally, is a big bonus for her. Her hair is already three to four inches past her shoulders, so she's quite sure it won't take long for it to grow back to its previously long length.

She grabbed the white turtle neck on her bed and shrugged it on before taking a matching denim jacket. As soon as she had slipped her shoes on, she exited her apartment, phone in her pocket, keys in hand and a small box wrapped with a black and silver wrapper.

 _'Hopefully, she likes it.'_ She thought as she brushed her hair back with her fingers.

Ever since Katarina had shown a softer side, taken care of her, even cooked that... _'special'_ soup for her, she has started to like Katarina for who she really is and how she truly moves and acts.

Ashe smiled and thought that she is truly lucky to have Katarina as her friend.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina's breathing was slightly uneven as she ran on the treadmill, music coming from her earphones and into her two ears in a low volume. Since the music is only in a low volume, it was easy for her to hear her brother call her name when he entered the exercise room of their mansion.

Katarina stopped the treadmill and hopped off the contraption, grabbing her face towel from the side and yanking her earphones out of her ear by its wires as she turned to her sibling.

"What is it, Talon?"

"Ashe is here." Talon informed her. "He's waiting for you at the living room."

"What?"

Katarina tried thinking of any reasons why Ashe would visit her now, but she came up empty.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Talon nodded and turned away. "I'll tell him that."

Just like what she had said, Katarina was quick with her showering. She instantly threw on a pair of jeans and a black tank top before exiting her bedroom, coming face to face with her sister.

"Cass," She acknowledged before walking down the hall.

Cassiopeia walked alongside her. "So, do you think Ashe bought a bouquet of flowers and some chocolates for you?"

She rolled her eyes at what her sibling had said. "I'm not the hopeless romantic type of girl, if you haven't noticed."

"I'm still curious on why you said yes in being Ashe's girlfriend..." Cassiopeia said, adding, "Or maybe it was him that said yes?"

Cassiopeia dodged the punch that she aimed at her, snickering to herself as she did.

"Shut up."

Despite her irritation, she can't help but imagine Ashe looking as charming as always, holding a bouquet of red roses and a small box of chocolates. All those things bought and prepared just for her.

Ashe would walk up to her, give the items, tilt her chin up, lean down and...!

"Oh, and I suggest you save your boyfriend before he runs for the hills, screaming." Cassiopeia's words broke her out of her daydream.

"Wait, what? What do you mean?"

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes at her. "Father just got back from his meeting an hour ago because it was cancelled and he was having coffee at the living room when Ashe suddenly arrived."

Talon's words from earlier echoed in her head.

"He's waiting for you at the living room."

...

...

...

"Hey, wait!"

Katarina ignored Cassiopeia and sprinted down the hall, leaving her sister to try and catch up to her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe currently sat down on the couch across Katarina's father, General Du Couteau, who scrutinized her every move. She's only wearing her white turtle neck now, sleeves already rolled and folded until it reached above her elbows.

She honestly didn't know why men were so intimidated by the fathers of their girlfriends. The fathers were merely observing the actions of their daughter's lover, because they worry for their daughter's safety and such.

Or maybe because she was immune to scrutinizing gazes due to her stepmother, Sierra.

"You're Katarina's lover?" Marcus asked her, settling his cup of coffee on the glass table in front of them.

"Yes, sir."

...

...

...

"Is Katarina trying to tell me something?" Marcus abruptly asked.

The question puzzled Ashe, but she didn't take her time to dilly-dally in thinking of an answer. She instantly formulated a response to the man in front of her. Ashe opened her mouth to say her reply, but Marcus raised a hand, silencing her in a blink of an eye.

"Introduce yourself to me." Marcus ordered.

"I am Ashe Avarosa. It is certainly nice to finally meet you, General Du Couteau."

"How long have you been with my daughter?"

"We've only been together for a month."

"What are your intentions with her?"

"I can assure you, sir, I have no ill intentions planned for her. I only intend to make her happy and smile as much as I can."

For a normal person, they would probably be cowering under the Grand general's gaze by now.

But Ashe isn't really a normal person, is she?

She's a girl, who's been raised to be a boy, and is the only person who has not shown any fear under the intimidating stare of the patriarch of the Du Couteau clan.

"How long do you plan on staying with her?"

"As long as she will she let me, sir."

"What if she did something wrong and accuses you of the one that had done so? My eldest daughter is quite a stubborn girl and has a short fuse." Marcus narrowed his eyes at her. "What will you do?"

"I would ask for her forgiveness."

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"It's because I would not care if it was her fault. Whatever she had done, I am to blame."

"How can you say so?" Marcus crossed his arms.

"Her anger wouldn't have just appeared out of the blue. There must have been something I have done to provoke her. Therefore, I must apologize."

Marcus stared at her for a long moment, uncrossed his arms, then stood up. She copied his last action. The general then offered her a hand. Without hesitating, Ashe reached forward and shook hands with the Grand general.

Just in time for Katarina to arrive and see their hands in mid-shake.

"I give you my blessing to continue this relationship with my daughter."

Ashe bowed her head slightly after their handshake ended.

"Thank you, sir."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina watched with wide eyes as her father gave Ashe his blessing. He even stood up and shook her hand! Her father never stood up for anyone just to shake their hand. This is a first, in her eyes.

Marcus turned and walked up to her, and she instantly straightened up and composed herself in front of her father. The older man placed a hand on her shoulder, almost making her jump, or at least flinch, on the spot.

"Whatever you do, Katarina," Her father's emerald eyes met her own. "Do not let this young man go."

Katarina could not do nor say anything back. She could only stare at her father, who then, murmured an 'excuse me' before leaving the room. She watched her father climb the stairs until he disappeared from her sights.

...

...

...

"That went well." Ashe said, breaking the silence.

She turned back to Ashe and found her getting something on the sofa. Approaching the Avarosa, she stopped when she was a half a meter away from her.

"What are you doin...-!"

"Happy first monthsary."

Katarina stared with wide and surprised eyes at the beautiful bouquet of red roses and box of chocolates Ashe held with her hands. She wordlessly accepted them, and she can't help but stare at the items in her arms.

She tried her best, but her best wasn't enough, to suppress the blush that tinted her cheeks. Without a single warning, Ashe suddenly tilted her chin upward, making her look up and face her.

"Are you alright? You look a little red," Ashe said, worriedly looking at her.

 _'Fuck! My daydream! It's happening!'_ She screamed in her head.

Ashe leaned forward.

Katarina wanted to pull away, but she found herself rooted to the floor she stood on.

"Katarina?"

Her face is inches away from Ashe.

...

...

...

...

...

 _'Fuck!'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Rule number one!" Katarina abruptly shouted before Ashe found a bouquet of red roses being swung towards her. "Rule number one, damn it!"

She swiftly used her left arm to stop it before the thorns could slap against her face. She clenched her teeth to prevent herself from grunting or yelping out in pain.

Ashe only managed to jump back when the bouquet of roses were slapped against her arm three times, and when she looked down to her left arm, she found a few thorns from the roses had pierced through her skin. She can also see a few thorns that had broken off its stalks and had embedded on her arm. A small amount of blood even oozed out.

She raised her head and found Katarina looking at her with wide eyes. Regret filled her green eyes as it scanned over the small wounds and cut on her forearm.

"I'm...! I'm sorry!" Katarina blurted out, now looking a tad bit horrified.

"It's... fine." She replied, flashing a weak and pained smile. "I'm sorry I overstepped my boundaries yet again."

Ashe saw Katarina shake her head. "N-No! You didn't! You... You didn't overstep anything."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "But you screamed rule number one. Quite literally."

"No...! It's just that," Katarina huffed and turned her head away, her cheeks taking on a light pink tint. "I panicked."

"Umm, why?" Ashe heard herself ask reflexively.

"My daydream was coming true." Katarina murmured.

"Daydream?"

The blush on the redhead's cheek strengthened and she raised the bouquet. "Shut up! Don't make me hit you with this again!"

Ashe lifted her hands in front of her in surrender. "No need for violence."

"Wow..."

She looked over Katarina, while said female turned around, spotting Cassiopeia and Talon standing at the archway of the living room.

"You know, I was only joking about you being the abusive type." Cassiopeia said, looking very surprised with the scene before her and her brother.

"I'm actually starting to think that you blackmailed Ashe into starting a relationship with you." Talon murmured.

"What!? No, I didn't!" Katarina growled.

"What's rule number one, then?" Talon asked, but it was too low for the others to hear.

 _'Well, in some way, yes, she did blackmail me from the start.'_ Ashe thought, but of course, her thoughts must only remain in her head. _'Or maybe unintentionally 'guilted' me into this._ '

She briefly recalled the memory of hers and Katarina's first meeting.

"Don't worry," She said, waving a hand dismissively. "It's just a scratch."

"That's a LOT of scratches, Ashe." The green haired Du Couteau stated, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I agree." Talon supported.

"Shut up!" Katarina shouted angrily at her siblings. The redhead angrily grabbed her right hand and tugged her past the two siblings and up the stairs.

"I'll take care of **her**! So leave us alone!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Cassiopeia and Talon watched Katarina practically dragged Ashe up the stairs and as soon as they heard the echo of Katarina slamming her bedroom door close louder than necessary, they took their gazes away from the stairs and turned to look at each other.

They both parted their lips and spoke in unison.

" **Her?** "

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina had Ashe settle on the foot of her bed and instantly started working on carefully plucking the thorns embedded in Ashe's arm with a pair of tweezers. After doing so, she took the first-aid kit from her personal bathroom and cleaned the scratches and the wounds.

When she was already bandaging Ashe's forearm, that's the moment she spoke.

"I'm... really sorry about hitting you with the roses."

"It's fine, Katarina. You said you panicked, so I guess I understand why you had hit me."

"No, no, it's just," She sighed. "I get angry so easily."

"I can see that."

"My fuse is probably the shortest one in Runeterra."

"Your father did mention you have a short one."

She cleared her throat when she finished bandaging Ashe's arm. She sat down beside Ashe and asked a question she's been mulling over earlier.

"How was the talk with my father?"

"It was nice."

"Only you would be the only person who thinks a talk with my father is nice." She muttered.

"Well, your father is quite formal and old-fashion. I can see why some see difficulty in speaking with him."

Katarina nodded.

...

...

...

...

...

"Oh," Ashe perked up and somewhat looked excited. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black and silver wrapped box. Katarina accepted it as Ashe handed it to her. "That's my gift for you."

"What for?" She dumbly asked.

Ashe chuckled. "Our first monthsary."

She ripped the wrapper off and revealed a transparent glass casing that encased a beautiful silver bracelet with little rubies and sapphires designing every small yet elegant dangling charms of the bracelet.

Katarina's mouth was slightly agape as she stared at the bracelet in awe. She didn't really expect a gift this grand from a real boyfriend, let alone a FAKE one.

"You like it?"

She snapped out of her awestruck self and cleared her throat, averting her gaze from the simple yet beautiful accessory. She straightened her posture and faced Ashe.

"Listen, if you give this to me, I won't be returning it to you. Even when our deal is finished." She said, sounding as if the bracelet is nothing extravagant.

"That's the point." Ashe said back, unaffected with her tone. "I designed it and had it made just for you."

"Y-You what?" She stuttered in disbelief, her serious expression faltering.

Ashe smiled at her. "It's one of a kind, Katarina."

She looked down to the bracelet, her cold and mean demeanor completely vanishing.

"Just like you."

Katarina snapped her head up to Ashe, whose gaze is on her and currently wearing a charming and unfeigned smile.

"You... care too much, you know that."

"I didn't lie when I told your father that I intend to make you happy and smile." Ashe told her in a confident tone.

"I'm not even your real girlfriend."

"You're a girl, and you're my friend, so you're not my girlfriend, yes, but you're my _'girl friend'_."

Katarina quirked an eyebrow, while Ashe chuckled at her logic.

"That aside," Katarina began as she unclasped the bracelet's lock. "Are you planning on staying here longer? Or did you just want to drop these... stuff off?"

Ashe took the bracelet from her when she showed a little bit of a struggle while trying to put it on. Her 'boyfriend' wound it around her right wrist and clasped the lock before answering.

"Well, if you don't have any plans for today, then maybe you want to eat out?"

"Yeah, no thanks." She declined, not really in the mood to go out of the comfort of her home. "I don't really require you to take me out on a date, so don't bother."

"I guess that gives me time to clean up at my apartment, then."

"What, is it spring cleaning already?" She joked.

"Well, not really. Riven and the others will be coming over tonight, so I have to at least make sure my apartment is clean."

"I've been to your apartment, and I can actually say that you don't need to clean it."

Ashe raised her eyebrows at her, surprise on her face. "Umm, you don't mind?"

"Don't mind what? That your apartment is clean?"

"No, that Riven and my friends will be coming over."

"By others, do you mean Lux, Caitlyn and Vi?"

"Shyvana, Garen, Jarvan, Jayce and Tryndamere will be there too." Ashe added.

"Since when did you become friends with Hothead, Muscleman, Rich boy, Jawline and Caveman?"

Ashe gave her an amused look. "Were those your nicknames for them?"

"It fits them, doesn't it?"

"Well, Shyvana's nice when you get to know her, although her demeanor never changes. Garen isn't really just all muscle, he's almost as smart as Lux... I think?"

Now it was Katarina's turn to look amused. Ashe instantly waved a dismissive hand and continued on with her words.

"Jarvan's rich, yes, but he doesn't brag about it. And yes, Jayce does have a very... defined jaw. Lastly, Tryndamere isn't even close to a caveman... Well, maybe a bit, due to his usually rugged self."

"You do know that you indirectly insulted Buff Boy and Big Ape and didn't defend Man Whore, right?" Katarina just can't seem to keep her amusement out of her voice.

"Uhh," Ashe lightly blushed in embarrassment, knowing who Katarina referred to. "Well, I'm not really sure about Garen's range of knowledge, and Jayce... He just has jaw that can, er, cut glass, I guess?"

Katarina pursed her lips to try and stop herself from bursting out with laughter, but it was futile. She released a laugh, holding her sides as she did. While she laughed at the words her 'boyfriend' had said, Ashe seemed to have calmed herself and ended up donning a smile of accomplishment.

"You don't know how to defend someone properly, huh?" Katarina asked, settling down from her laughter and wiping a tear that came with her laughter earlier.

Instead of answering, Ashe unconsciously disregarded Katarina's question and decided to say something else.

"Your laugh is nice."

"Huh? What was that?" She asked, clearly not catching what Ashe had said while a ghost of her smile can still be seen on her face.

"Nothing." Ashe dismissed with a small smile and a shake of her head.

"Well, back to the main subject. Why are all of them even going to your apartment?"

"We're working on our group projects."

"All of you? In one group project?"

"No, no," Ashe chuckled. "Garen, Jarvan, Tryndamere, Jayce and Vi were grouped together, while Lux, Caitlyn, Shyvana and Riven were grouped with me. We plan on helping each other complete the two projects."

"Well then, I wouldn't want to 'delay' you with your extremely early spring cleaning."

They both stood up and headed towards the door.

"Do you want me to walk you out of the house or can you just find your way out?"

"I'll just find my way out. No need to escort me, Katarina."

As soon as Katarina swung the door open, the two of them were caught by surprise when they found the Grand general standing there, hand about to knock at the door.

"Uh, hi." Katarina greeted her father a bit awkwardly.

"Katarina," Marcus nodded his head at her before turning to Ashe. "Leaving?"

Ashe slowly nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Will my daughter be escorting you out?"

"No, sir. I wouldn't want to burden her with it."

Marcus stepped back, giving them a fair space to exit the room. "I'll escort you."

"Umm, I don't think that's necessary, father." Katarina cut in. "I'm sure Ashe is fine by himself."

"I want to talk to him."

Much to Katarina's surprise, Ashe merely flashed a polite smile and stepped out of her room, not looking scared from her intimidating father.

"Of course, sir."

"Say your goodbyes, then."

...

...

...

Awkward.

Yes, that's the only word that could describe the atmosphere right now. The two of them usually just say casual goodbyes to each other and part ways like mere friends, but due to the predicament they are in, that won't do.

"Umm, bye." She muttered with a rather stiff wave of a hand.

"Goodbye, Katarina." Ashe calmly bid back.

Katarina glanced at her father and found him still looking at them, an expectant gaze in his eyes.

 _'Fuck. He's expecting me to kiss Ashe goodbye!'_

She whispered a curse under her breath before she reached out and held the sides of Ashe's face. She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Ashe's lips. For a second, Katarina wondered briefly what it would feel like when she had deepened the kiss.

But of course, her father's presence stopped her from exploring and entertaining that little idea. No way is she going to make-out with someone in front of the strict general.

When she pulled away, surprise was evident on Ashe's face, and she tried her best to ignore it and act as natural as possible.

"Be careful." She murmured, mildly blushing. Neither of them knew if her blush is there due to her embarrassment or something else.

Despite the kiss being unexpected and short, it sent a small tingling sensation throughout her body that she has never felt, except for the time when she and Ashe had kissed during their pretend wedding.

"This way, Avarosa." Marcus said, gesturing down the hall.

Katarina heard Ashe murmur another farewell to her before she and the Grand general walked down the hall. She watched the two walk down the hall until they rounded around a corner and disappeared from her line of vision.

She walked back inside her room, fingers touching her lips as the door closed with a low click.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Thank you."

Ashe snapped her head to the father of her 'girlfriend', slightly taken by surprise with his sudden thanks. She wracked her mind to try and remember anything she had done to make him think he has something to thank her for, but she came up empty.

"I... beg your pardon?"

The general's face remained blank. "I heard her laughing in there, and for that, I want to express my thanks to you."

"But... why?" She asked, completely confused. "I only made her laugh."

"Precisely."

She furrowed her eyebrows, still confused.

"The last time I heard her laugh was when her mother was still alive."

Ashe had wondered where Katarina's mother is, and now she knew why the said woman isn't here in the estate.

"Katarina never laughed ever since?"

Marcus shook his head. "She blamed herself for everything that had happened. It... saddens me to see her always scowling and such."

"What... did happen?"

"She never told you?"

"I believe I can't say she has."

"It's not my place to tell you. You would have to wait for Katarina to tell you herself."

"I see."

...

...

...

"I have to ask though," Marcus abruptly spoke. "What is Katarina trying to accomplish?"

Ashe's eyebrows knitted together in confusion yet again. "What do you mean?"

"By having a relationship with you, is she trying to say something to me?"

"I, um, don't quite understand you, sir."

They arrived and halted at the front door. Instead of exiting the estate, Marcus turned to face her, so she also faced him reflexively.

"You can stop altering your vocals, Ashe. I know you are no man."

Wide cerulean colored eyes stared back at Marcus, shock written all over the blue hues.

How did he see through her disguise? Was her gender truly obvious? Did the lack of presence of her jacket give her feminine body away?

"H-How?"

"Does Katarina know?" Marcus questioned, disregarding her own question.

Knowing that her secret is already exposed, Ashe just suppressed herself from sighing and decided to answer the question truthfully.

"Yes, she knows."

"What about Talon and Cassiopeia?"

"They know nothing about my true self."

"Did Katarina ask you to pose as a man?"

"No, no, not at all." She instantly replied. "That choice was made by my stepmother."

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Your stepmother told you to act like a man?"

"Raised me to be one."

The Du Couteau patriarch regarded her with a serious gaze, and she wordlessly pondered if she should tell him about the deal between her and his daughter. But then, she thought that Katarina should be the one to decide that.

When she heard no more words from the man in front of her, she risked the moment to ask a question.

"Are you... bothered?"

"With what?"

"With Katarina being... attracted to the same gender as hers?"

As soon as she finished, Ashe expected Marcus to just burst into a fit of rage. Just like how her stepmother would usually do in moments like this. Knowing it's not Sierra in front of her, she kept the desire in stepping back under her control.

To her surprise, the reply given to her was...

"Of course not."

Too stupefied with the answer, all she could say back to that was just, "Oh."

"Is that why she hid the fact that you're a girl?"

'I guess... this will be enough of an answer for her father.'

Silently, she nodded.

"She shouldn't have."

"I think she was afraid that you won't support her with her interest."

"You're not sure with her reason why she likes females?"

She then remembered Katarina's words.

 ** _"I don't like dicks. I like pussy."_**

Ashe's face blushed in ten shades of red as soon as she recalled those exact words, and of course, her flushed face didn't escape the Grand general's notice.

"She...! She, er, n-never told me."

Oh, how obvious it was that she's lying. Thankfully for her, Marcus took pity in her rather nervous state and decided to let it go.

"I'll wait for her to tell me, so don't be flustered with yourself. You look pathetic."

'Now I know where Katarina got her attitude from.' She thought as she heard Marcus' words, not at all offended with his little insult.

"Um, yes, sir."

"All I ask from you is that," Marcus opened the door for her. "Take care of my daughter."

Ashe opened her mouth to say her reply, but Marcus cut her off.

"Based from what I had heard and seen, only you would be able to make her smile again."

"I... I see."

As she stepped outside, Marcus placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She loves you, Ashe."

Her eyes widened, standing still and frozen on her spot. She didn't know what to say to that. Inside, she could feel her heart suddenly become a bit erratic.

"She just doesn't know it yet."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _The reviews really make me happy, which explains the chapters consecutively uploaded. :)_


	17. Chapter 17

**ACT 17**

In Ashe's apartment living room, her couches were pushed aside and the coffee table was moved away, giving them a huge space to work at for their group projects.

All of them were formed in a sloppy circle, each of them holding either a pen, a bunch of papers or both.

"Okay," Lux spoke up. "It says here, Freljord was, and is still, the coldest places in the history of all nations in Runeterra."

"I think we already got past that, Luxanna." Caitlyn said in a somewhat harsh manner, giving the blonde a pointed look through her reading glasses.

Caitlyn still hasn't forgiven Lux for getting her fuzzy cuffs and using it for their booth. The cuffs are, after all, her favorite toy when it comes to hers and Vi's _'personal'_ time together.

"Aww, cupcake!" Vi whined from beside Caitlyn. "Why do you have to wear _those_ glasses? You look _sooo_ hot right now, which makes _me_ hot."

"Hey, Vi. Maybe I can help you cool off." Jayce said, a suggestive smile on his face.

"Ha, ha, nice try, Hammerhead. Not gonna happen."

"Can you stop flirting and actually do something productive?" Jarvan asked Jayce, slightly glaring at the flirt, who is also his groupmate.

"Are we even making any progress?" Riven asked, while she traded papers with Garen.

"Our group is." Shyvana replied, not bothering on turning away from the papers she's currently reading, while she pointed her pen at the other group's direction. "But theirs? I'm not so sure."

"Where the hell is Ashe?" Tryndamere queried, looking up from his own paper. "He told me he was going to help me reword this paragraph."

"I think Ashe is still at his bathroom, still showering probably." Garen said with a shrug.

"Lux just had to throw ice cream at his hair." Caitlyn murmured.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault!" Lux defended. "If Jayce and Vi hadn't made me laugh, I wouldn't have ended up catapulting my ice cream to Ashe."

"I'm still wondering how you ended up doing so." Shyvana muttered.

"I'm with you on that one." Riven agreed with the crimson haired female.

Tryndamere sighed before getting up from the floor. "I'll go check on Ashe."

"Hurry back." Jarvan said. "I need you to complete half of paragraph fifteen, while Ashe edits the thirteenth."

"Yeah, yeah."

Tryndamere walked down the hall and headed towards Ashe's bedroom.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe sighed as she rubbed both of her hands on her face, while the shower rained warm water on her bare self. She was already ice cream free and smelled of the fresh scent of peppermint, but she was still clearly and completely distracted.

The words the Grand general had told her still swirled inside of her head, practically running over and over again in a circle in her mind.

 _'Katarina doesn't love me,'_ She thought. _'Right?_ '

She had tried convincing herself on her way home and until her friends had arrived, but it still consumed her mind, which disabled her from thinking of anything else but that.

 _'Besides, how would her father know that?'_

 _'Well, maybe because he's her father. Duh.'_ A voice, identical to hers, mocked her in her head.

Ashe sighed again before reaching a hand forward and twisting the shower's handle, stopping the flow of the clear water. She slid the shower door open and grabbed her towel, swiftly drying herself off.

As soon as she was dry, she exited her bathroom, hanging her towel on a wall-hook in the process. She walked out and into her bedroom, stark naked as she approached her clothes and bandages on her bed.

First thing she grabbed were her grey briefs, which she slipped on immediately. Next thing she grabbed were the bandages.

 _'I better hurry before the others decide to check on me. Who knows how long I took in the shower.'_

She knew that she probably took her time in the shower longer than needed. Ashe quickly bandaged her chest and was already close to finishing on bandaging her chest, when she suddenly heard the door of her bedroom open.

"Hey, Ashe," Tryndamere's voice came. "Are you done...-!"

She spun around saw Tryndamere at the doorway, eyes wide and jaw dropped to the ground.

"Trynd...-!"

"I...! Wha...! You...! You're...!"

Ashe immediately secured her bandages before she rushed towards Tryndamere. She grabbed one of his wrists and pulled him fully inside her bedroom before pushing him towards the door, closing it as soon as his back was slammed onto it.

She was a bit lucky that Tryndamere didn't put up a fight as she pushed him against the door like a lifeless vegetable.

A very big and heavy vegetable.

"How...! You...! This...!"

She stopped Tryndamere's sputtering by covering his mouth with both of her hands.

"Stop stuttering and be quiet! Don't tell anyone about me being a girl, or else my stepmother will kill me. You can't let anyone know about this. My whole life depends on this secret and this secret alone, and I trust you can keep yourself hushed about this." She said this all in one breathing, instantly gasping in a lungful of air afterwards.

...

...

...

...

...

Tryndamere slowly held her wrists and tugged her hands away from his mouth.

"You have my word."

Just like that, Ashe let out a loud sigh of relief, form practically slackening like a noodle.

"Now, if you'd excuse me," She turned away and walked back to her clothes. "I still have to put on some clothes."

"Can you answer a few questions while you dress?" Tryndamere abruptly asked. "I'll turn away while doing so."

"What would you even want to know?" She asked back, sounding a little exasperated.

By the time Tryndamere replied, he was already turned away and facing the door.

"First of all, you're really a girl, right? Not just some cross-dresser or anything like that?"

"Yes, I'm a hundred percent female."

Surprisingly, Tryndamere released a sigh of relief as loud as she had earlier.

"Oh, thank the Gods for that."

"Why are you so... relieved with that fact?"

"It means I'm not gay!" Tryndamere said, sounding quite happy.

"Where did that even come from?" She asked as she slipped her shirt on, which was the last clothing she had to wear, since she had already finished wearing her pants. "Oh, by the way, you can turn around now."

Tryndamere was quick to turn and approach her. He easily towered over, but the wide smile on his face reassured, and at the same time, crept, her out. Tryndamere placed both of his hands on her shoulders and shook her.

"Since you're a girl, that makes me straight."

"You were never even gay in the first place."

"I was on the verge on being one."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's hard to believe."

"No, I'm serious. I was starting to develop a crush on you," Tryndamere pointed a finger at her. "And since you're actually a female, well..."

She watched as Tryndamere took a step back, brushed his hair away from his face and grinned suggestively.

"Would you like to go out on a date?"

"Uh, no."

"Wow." Tryndamere crossed his arms. "You turned me down just like that? You're colder than Freljord itself."

"Well, I did grow up there."

"Hmm."

"Listen, Tryndamere, I...-!"

"Wait a second," He interrupted.

She sighed. "What is it now?"

"If you're a girl disguised as a boy... Does Katarina know? What about your relationship?"

Ashe resisted the urge to sigh.

"It's complicated."

"Complicated?"

"You wouldn't understand, alright?"

"But she knows?"

"Yes." She replied exasperatedly.

"That means she'll be fine with it!" Tryndamere suddenly said, a big smile on his face.

"Fine with what?"

Tryndamere, instead of answering her question, looked back to her and grinned.

"Hey, Ashe, can I ask a favor?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina yawned as she flipped the channel of the television for the umpteenth time. Cassiopeia walked inside the living room.

"You know, I expected you and Ashe would go out today." Her sister said as she plopped right beside her on the sofa. "It's your first monthsary, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So~? Aren't you two going out on a date or something?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, Cass. We're not."

"He didn't ask you out?"

"He did, but I'm too lazy to go out today, so...-!"

 ** _Puff!_**

Katarina didn't get a chance to finish what she was saying due to the fact that Cassiopeia just smashed a pillow on her face. She yanked the plush cushion off of her face and growled at her sibling.

"What the fuck, Cass?"

"Did you seriously just turn down your monthsary date because you're too lazy?"

"Why do you care?"

"Ugh," Cassiopeia laid back, making a face. "It's a wonder why she stays with you."

"Oh, there are a lot of rea...-what did you just say?" She suddenly questioned, cutting off her sarcastic retort.

"I said, it's a wonder why...-!" Cassiopeia stopped...

...

...

...

...

...

And immediately pursed her lips as soon as she realized what she just said.

"Cass," She snarled. "Repeat what you just said."

"Damn it. I wanted to confront you about this when Talon is here."

"Confront me about what!?" She snapped, glaring at her sister.

"Is Ashe a girl or not?"

...

...

...

Cassiopeia didn't even bother sugar-coating it.

"That escalated quicker than I had expected."

Both of them whipped their heads to the doorway, eyes wide with surprise. At the doorway of the living room, Talon stood there with their father, who was the one who spoke.

"Father!" Katarina instantly stood up. "I can explain."

Marcus raised a hand. "No need."

"No... need?"

"I already knew."

 _'Wait, what!?'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Meanwhile, back at Ashe's apartment, Tryndamere kept his word about not uttering a word about Ashe's secret. Thankfully, no one decided to ask them when they didn't join the group immediately.

When they got back, they were both given a few papers concerning the project and that's that.

"Hey, guys," Vi began. "I'm planning on calling for pizza, any requests?"

"I'm fine with anything." Ashe said, while Tryndamere started having a debate with Garen whether to get two pepperoni pizzas, or two bacon ones.

As Ashe sat beside Riven, the grey haired female gave her a greeting smile.

"How are you and Katarina?" Riven casually asked, arranging a few papers scattered on the floor.

"It's been nice. It's actually our first monthsary today."

"Oh dear," Caitlyn reacted from her left. "Did our visit spoil your plans for today?"

"No, don't worry. It's no big deal. We didn't really have plans for today."

"But, why?" Lux asked with a pout.

"Well, I did ask Katarina if she wants to eat out, but she declined. Besides...-!"

"Katarina declined your offer on the day of your monthsary?" Vi suddenly joined in. "Wow. That's just harsh."

"It's fine. Like I said, it's no big deal."

"Enough with the fluff-like questions. The more important question is," Jayce then wiggled his eyebrows at Ashe. "When are you planning on taming the feisty Kat?"

Ashe blushed intently, while various pens and papers were thrown at Jayce.

"Don't mind him, Ashe." Caitlyn told her, while the others still threw everything they could reach at Jayce.

"Yeah! I'm sure you'll bed Katarina in no time!"

This time, the pens and papers were thrown at Lux.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 _ **Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!**_

Katarina practically glued her gaze on her feet while Marcus, Talon and Cassiopeia sat around her in the living room, the trio's stares stuck on her.

"It's been five minutes, Kata," Cassiopeia said, almost sounding like she was whining. "Are you seriously going to make Father start the talk?"

She was about to say, "There's nothing to talk about." But apparently, her father's face clearly showed that there IS something to talk about.

Instead of saying her original reply, she deeply sighed and slumped on her seat before she threw her hands halfway in the air.

"Well? What do guys want to know?"

"How did you two meet?" Marcus asked, calmly and silently drinking from his mug of coffee afterwards.

Katarina pondered with the idea of lying, but every time she glanced at her father, it always decreased her intention of doing so.

"We first met each other on the first day of school. She's my seatmate in Biology class."

"Looks like the stool beside you didn't stay vacant as long as you had predicted." Talon murmured lowly.

"The next time we saw each other was the second day. I heard Darius and Draven beating her up at the shower room."

"Beating her up? In the shower room?" Cassiopeia looked confused and slightly horrified at the same time. "That means they saw her naked."

"No, they didn't. Ashe was still wearing her clothes when I got there. And no, she didn't get beaten up that badly. The two idiots only landed one punch each, so Ashe was fine."

"And what? That's it?"

This time, it was her brother who spoke and asked. "You had only met her at the first day of school and you introduced her to us at the fourth day of school as your boyfriend, which begs the question, how long did she court you?"

She internally cursed Talon for asking a question she dreaded on answering. He even added the icing on the cake.

...

...

...

"She courted me for a day." She answered after a moment of silence.

"Just a day?" Marcus and Talon unintentionally asked in unison.

"You mean to say that the day Ashe courted you was the same day you said yes to her?" Cassiopeia queried for confirmation.

"Yes."

Talon leaned back to his chair. "Based from my calculations, it means she courted you at the third day of school, correct?"

"Wait," Cassiopeia cut in. "Wasn't that the day you got in a fight with father about getting a boyfriend?"

She grunted, glaring at her sister.

"Let me ask you, Katarina," Marcus started. "If what your siblings say is true, then tell me, did you say yes to Ashe to put an end on my inquiries about your personal life?"

Katarina's gaze fell downward and she ended up staring at her lap.

"Yes." She adjusted on her seat for a second. "I was hoping to be in a relationship with Ashe for at least three months before breaking it off."

It isn't a total lie. She just left the fact that the relationship isn't even real in the first place.

"When did you discover that she's not a man?" Her father questioned.

"First day of school."

"And yet you pursued the relationship she offered?"

"To stop you from bothering me, yes."

Marcus stared at her with an intense gaze and she can't seem to hold their eye contact, so she shifted her own gaze away from his.

"Something tells me you're still hiding something."

"..."

"Oh, come on, Kata," Cassiopeia gave her a look. "Almost everything's already out, so might as well, right?"

She propped her right elbow on the arm rest and leaned her head on her slightly fisted hand.

 _'Might as well, huh?'_ She muttered to herself in her mind.

"If I say this," She pointed a finger at her father. "You won't bother me in getting a boyfriend. _Ever_. Do we have a deal?"

Marcus stared at her in silence for a moment before saying, "In my perspective, you don't have the right to make a deal, especially since you've been lying. **But** , I will make an exception for now. You have a deal."

Katarina glanced at Cassiopeia, then Talon and finally, refocused her eyes back to her father.

"Our relationship isn't real."

...

...

...

...

...

"You know," Talon spoke, breaking the silence. "If you had said that in the very beginning of this conversation, you could have avoided our questions earlier."

Katarina snarled and glared at him.

"Explain." Was the only word her father uttered.

She sighed. _'Cat's already out of the bag. Might as well my ass.'_

A headache was starting to form in her head, and the only thing she could do now to soothe it was rub her temples.

"At the first day of school, I was rude to Ashe, and she fought back. I was pissed and made plans to make her life at the university a living hell. When school was dismissed, I ambushed her when she got to her car. I grabbed one of her wrists, which was sprained, and made her cry out in pain, which then gave away her true gender. The next day, I took the gym as a shortcut to get to the parking lot, which is why I heard Ashe being beaten up by the two. I was originally planning on leaving her to fend for herself, but then, I realized that I had the perfect chance to have her owe me."

"So, you didn't save her because she was a girl?" Cassiopeia asked, disbelief hinting her voice.

Marcus raised a hand, signaling Cassiopeia to be quiet. "Continue."

"After I saved her, I told her she had to repay me for saving her by pretending to be my boyfriend for three months to fool you and stop you from bothering me. It didn't go as planned and I snapped at her for being stupid."

"That last one doesn't make any sense." Cassiopeia muttered, and Talon silently nodded in agreement. She ignored her siblings and continued on, not really wanting to tell the real reason why she had grouched at Ashe that time.

"The day came when you bugged me about my personal life again and I got angry and stormed out of the house. Ashe ended up finding me at some random bus stop under the rain. I didn't know why she stopped, but she did. I ended up going with her at her apartment to dry myself. She took care of me and all, and while doing so, she told me she'll _'repay'_ me by posing as my boyfriend. I didn't know why she accepted it, and I don't really care why. I laid out some rules about our pretend relationship...-!"

"What are these rules?" Her father abruptly interrupted.

"Rule number one, she can't touch me sexually. Two, her greeting to me will only be a kiss on the cheek or forehead. Three, she can't flirt with anyone, since that might start nasty rumors and things like that. Four, there won't be any feelings involved in our little relationship hoax."

The bracelet around her wrist glimmered for a moment as if it was reminding her of the unofficial rule she had given.

"And, umm, she needs to buy me a gift every time our monthsary comes." She muttered.

"What happened afterwards?"

"The next day was the day that I introduced her to Cassiopeia and Talon."

"Something tells me you're _still_ hiding something." Her sister repeated their father's statement earlier.

She narrowed her eyes at her female sibling. "What're you talking about?"

"If that's all, then why are you so nice to Ashe now? Yes, you almost slapped her at the first day of Pilty Fair,"

As Cassiopeia spoke, she didn't notice that Katarina had a look of guilt when she recalled that specific memory. Katarina also didn't notice that her father saw the guilty look that crossed her facial features.

"But, after that incident, you became nice to her. Well, as nice as you can be."

"I went to her apartment the next morning after you and Tal talked me. I managed to apologize after a few... delays. Anyway, long story short, she offered to start over and I accepted."

"Start over as what?" Her two siblings chorused.

"As friends."

"So, you're saying that, every single thing in your relationship was fake?"

"Yeah."

...

...

...

"End this faux relationship of yours. Now." Her father suddenly ordered.

The idea of ending the things between her and Ashe, it made her feel... weird. It was a strange feeling, and it made her stomach slightly churn. But, she managed to brush it off as a sign of being nervous or something like that. Yep, she just concluded she's being nervous.

"Well, since you already know everything, then there's no reason in continuing it." She said as nonchalantly as possible, shrugging her shoulders for more effect.

"Good. As soon as you end this little play, court her."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"WHAT!?" She shot off of her seat and looked at her father with an incredulous look.

Of all the things she had expected from the strict general, she didn't expect anything like _that_. Not even close to what she predicted!

"You heard me clearly."

"What...-!"

"It's sad that Ashe isn't a guy," Cassiopeia pouted before a smile replaced the pout. "But, I wouldn't mind having a sister-in-law like her."

"Indeed." Talon agreed.

"Wait a second! Can we backtrack a bit? You lost me when YOU TOLD ME TO COURT HER!"

"Is there something wrong with what I said?" Marcus calmly asked her.

"Something wrong? Something wrong!? It's _totally_ wrong! This is the part where you're suppose to force me to get a real boyfriend, stay away from Ashe and shit like that! **WHY** aren't you doing that?"

 _'Isn't it all going too... smoothly? Life can't be THAT giving! Where's the taking? Where's the part where I whine about life being unfair to me? Where are the lemons I'm suppose to use to make the goddamn lemonade?'_

Katarina still can't accept the fact that she and Ashe are actually allowed to be together, officially!

 _'Why am I even thinking about that?'_

An image of her and Ashe appeared in her mind. Her lying down on her lap, and Ashe dressed in casual clothes that are actually for women and that suited her beautifully. Both of them smiling at each other.

Not as friends, but as lovers.

True lovers.

She shook her head, trying to remove the image from inside her head.

"Katarina," Came her father's voice.

"What!?" She practically yelled at him.

Her father's expression remained stoic.

"End this fake relationship of yours before Ashe discovers that you've broken a rule."

She made a face that clearly said 'what the fuck are you talking about'. She gestured her arms to either side of hers.

"What rule?" She questioned, clearly stressed out.

"Rule number four, what else?" Surprisingly, it was Talon who said that.

'Rule number four? But, that rule states that no feelings will be invol...-!'

"I didn't develop any feelings for her!" Katarina shouted, glaring at her brother.

"Of course you didn't." Cassiopeia sarcastically said.

"Don't test me now, Cass."

"Seriously, Kata. You suck at this."

"I do **NOT** love her."

"Who said anything about love?" Marcus asked. "You're the only one who claimed that. I merely told you to court her."

" **YOU** told me you wouldn't meddle with my personal life! You told me that you won't push me in getting a boyfriend!"

"I know. Our deal clearly stated that I won't pester you in getting a **boyfriend**." Her father pointed out. "Right now, I am only telling you to pursue a relationship with a **girlfriend**."

"Oh, you sly bastard..." She growled lowly, directing her glare to the general.

"Just admit it, Katarina." Talon murmured. "You've already fallen for her, and currently, you're denying it."

Instead of raining her terrifying wrath down and upon her brother, she thought of his words in her mind.

The way she felt completely comfortable with Ashe whenever she's around. The calming aura Ashe emitted whenever they conversed with each other. Ashe's mere presence calmed her and she knew well that she could trust her. The warm feeling she always experiences every time Ashe kisses her cheek or forehead.

Speaking of kisses, their first kiss at Pilty Fair. It was... exhilarating, to say the least. That kiss was both their first, and it made her feel fuzzy inside, knowing she is Ashe's first kiss and she to her. The adrenaline that pumped through her veins during that moment made her want to prolong the kiss longer than necessary.

And their goodbye kiss earlier. It was short, but it didn't stop her heart rate from becoming erratic. Just by thinking about those two moments, it made her heartbeat race and her stomach feel weird.

 _'I don't like Ashe. I don't like her.'_ She attempted in convincing herself mentally. _'She's just a friend, that's all. She's my first friend. Yeah, that's why I'm feeling like this. This is totally normal.'_

"Katarina?"

 _'Totally normal.'_

"Kata?"

 _'Totally. Normal.'_

Outside Katarina's mind...

Cassiopeia, Talon and Marcus had their gazes still focused on her, while Katarina herself was staring into space, obviously dazed and distracted with her own scattered thoughts.

"We seemed to have lost her." Talon said.

"Yeah, no shit." Cassiopeia quipped, looking at their sister with an amused look.

"Let her think." Marcus said, knowing his daughter is in _deep_ thought. "It's about time someone opened her eyes to what she was about to do to herself."

"What, you mean break rule number four?"

Marcus shook his head. "She already did that."

"Then," Cassiopeia looked a bit confused. "What was she about to do?"

"We still don't know if Ashe is feeling the same way, especially with Riven in the equation." Talon stated, muttering the last part.

"Precisely." Their father agreed. "Katarina should move now and take her chance before Ashe is gone within her reach."

Cassiopeia rubbed her chin with a finger. "Hopefully, she doesn't screw it up."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**


	18. Chapter 18

**ACT 18**

Ashe waved goodbye to the others before closing the door of her apartment, leaving her with her new close friend, Tryndamere.

Earlier, Jayce started a little dare, challenging the other men and their physiques. Lux and Vi vouched for him and soon, the _'competition'_ was underway, sidetracking them from their purpose in coming to her apartment.

All of the men were suppose to take off their shirts and all of the women were going to be the ones to judge their physical forms. This little play made Ashe internally panic, knowing she can't take her top clothes off or else they'll know her secret.

Just when she thought that all hope was lost, Tryndamere suddenly threw a _'wild fit'_ and forcefully stopped the unnecessary competition by yelling and shouting from the top of his lungs. In the end, Ashe was saved and her secret was kept.

"Thank you for helping me earlier." She thanked Tryndamere, who is currently putting the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Ha! That was nothing." Tryndamere waved a hand dismissively. "Those sissies cowered under my wrath, which is actually a nice feeling, if I do say so myself."

"Well, if it weren't for you, they would have known my secret."

"Speaking of you, have you, well, decided?"

"About what?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"The favor I was asking."

"Oh, _that_..."

Ashe scratched the back of her head as she started thinking about the favor Tryndamere is describing. Tryndamere had asked if it was okay for her to go out on a pretend date with him tomorrow since his ex-girlfriend will be at the mall tomorrow.

He wants said ex-lover to be jealous when she sees him with a girl, and the role of that mentioned girl will be taken by Ashe. That is, if she accepts it.

"Why the mall, Trynd?" She asked, almost sounding like she was whining.

"It's because she's going to go there to meet with her cousin and a few friends of hers. If she sees me with you, she'll become jealous and will want me back for sure!"

"I don't like your plan that much. I don't think it's been thought through."

"Please, Ashe. You're the only one I trust to help me with this." Tryndamere pleaded.

"But I don't even have any clothes for women! I only own men's wear!"

"Then, I'll buy you some."

"What!?"

"It's no problem. I have money, and it's only clothes, right?"

"But, Trynd!"

"Please, just this one favor. That's all I ask. All you need to do is walk around the mall with me, hold hands a few times and that's it. I'll even buy you lunch."

"Trynd..."

Tryndamere looked at her with glassy jade eyes, a pleading expression on his face.

 _'I guess one fake date won't hurt. I mean, he did save me earlier. The least I could do is spend a day with him.'_

She sighed and focused her attention on Tryndamere. Raising one finger, she said, "One day."

"YES!" The teary-eyes disappeared in a flash as her friend pumped a fist up in the air. Tryndamere suddenly dashed forward and scooped her in his arms, lifting her up and twirling her around in the air. "Thank you!"

After a few spins and rounds of thanking, Ashe was starting to get sick. She may not have motion-sickness, but being spun around in circles made her want to vomit the pizza she had just eaten earlier.

"Put me down!" She practically yelped.

"Okay, okay," Tryndamere placed her down, but the grin on his face was still there. "I can see why Katarina chose you to be her fake boyfriend."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult." She muttered, already dreading the next day.

"It's a compliment, trust me." Tryndamere said with a wink. "Well! I better leave, then! I still have to buy you some clothes for tomorrow!"

Ashe escorted a still-grinning Tryndamere out of her apartment, opening the door and politely ushering him out of her apartment.

"Oh, Ashe, before I go," Tryndamere was already out at the hall when he turned back to her. "I'll also buy you some powder and a lipstick, You at least know how to put lipstick on, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I've seen my stepmother do it, and it didn't look too difficult."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Navy blue, why?"

Tryndamere disregarded her question and just waved. "Alright, see you tomorrow, then. Bye!"

"Uh, bye."

Ashe went back into her apartment as soon as she closed the door. She sighed as she ran a hand through her white hair, feeling a bit stressed.

She has to ask herself though.

"Why do people always pick me to be their pretend lover?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina quietly ate her syrup-covered pancakes, ignoring the glances her siblings, mostly her sister, gave her. Their father left early, so that's one less pair of eyes to deal with.

"So," Cassiopeia spoke, planning to start the conversation at the table. "Kata, have any plans for today?"

"Except locking myself in my room and thinking about what I'm doing with my life? No, Cass, I have no plans whatsoever." She replied half-sarcastically.

"Good. Then, you're coming with us." Talon stated, not removing his gaze from his own plate of pancakes.

"Excuse me?" She squinted her eyes as she looked at her brother. "Coming with you two? To where exactly?"

"To the mall, where else?" Cassiopeia answered before eating a piece of pancake impaled on her fork.

"It's a much better plan rather than banishing yourself to your room with nothing to do but think of Ashe all day long."

Katarina choked on the pancake she was in the middle of swallowing. She coughed and choked for a few moments before she managed to grab her glass of water, downing at least half of its amount in an instant. Cassiopeia had a knowing smile on her face, while Talon maintained his blank expression, but an amused glint in his eyes can be seen under his hood if one should look closely.

Finally, when Katarina finally recovered, she slammed the glass down and glared at her brother menacingly.

"Fuck you." She cursed, her voice coming in a loud whisper-like manner.

"It's settled!" Cassiopeia clasped her hands together as soon as she placed her knife and fork down. "You'll be coming with us."

She groaned.

 _'I guess that's a much better plan to kill time...'_ She admitted to herself, now settling on glaring at her breakfast.

Using her red hair, she hid behind it as she looked down to her plate. She could feel her cheeks warm up.

 _'...Rather than thinking of her all day.'_

Quietly, she cursed her brother again. This time, for being right.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Here are the clothes." Tryndamere said, showing three large shopping bags and one small one to Ashe, who looked at every each of them like they were from another dimension.

She didn't know the clothing brands. But just by looking at the word art on the bags and its colors, it's obvious that the contents of it are women's clothes.

"Now, dress up. We'll leave as soon as you're done."

As Ashe accepted the bags one by one, she took the time to audit Tryndamere's appearance. Instead of looking like a tough and mean-looking guy like he usually does, this time, he looked completely clean and groomed. Hair neatly brushed and clothes ironed and such.

"This girl must be something." She said as she turned away, bags in her hands.

"You have no idea." She heard Tryndamere say before she entered her bedroom and closed the door, locking it as soon as it clicked close.

She placed the bags on her covered bed and rummaged the paper bag that was the closest to her.

First thing she pulled out was a navy blue trench coat with gold buttons. It actually resembled the trench coat she has in her closet right now, but that one is for men's, unlike the one she's holding up now. Inside the same bag of the trench coat, she also found a navy blue shoulder bag with a few yet stunning gold designs.

She laid the coat and bag on the bed before moving to the next bag. This time, she found herself holding up a beautiful sleeveless white dress with ruffles surrounding arm holes. It also has three gold buttons on the chest area and it has a ruffled-collar that she's sure that will cover her neck. It has a few embroideries of white vine and flowers, which made it looks nice and simple.

After inspecting the dress, she placed it beside the trench coat before reaching back inside the same bag. She felt a box inside and immediately pulled it out as soon as she had a good hold on it.

She lifted the lid off of it and found a matching white doll shoes with two-inch heels. She smiled to herself. This is, after all, her first time in holding clothing that are for women's and that are _actually_ for her.

Placing the open shoebox beside the dress, she moved to last big shopping bag. Well, it isn't really big. In fact, it's smaller than the other two she had already searched. She already assumed the smallest bag contained the cosmetics Tryndamere had mentioned last night, so it made her a bit curious on what this specific bag contained.

She reached inside the shopping bag and pulled out...

"What is this?" She asked no one in particular.

The white material was a bit stretchable, has two lace shoulder straps, and it has a clasp with two small hooks.

Ashe looked at the white lace clothing as if it was from a whole different world she doesn't know about. But in fact, it was just a bra. Yes, the same bra women usually wear. Well, not usually with this one, since, yes, it does have paddings, but this one is considered as a lingerie. The garment being 90% made out of lace is confirmation enough.

Turning around, Ashe exited her bedroom and made her way to the living room where she left Tryndamere to wait for her. As soon as Tryndamere heard her coming, he instantly spoke.

"Finished already?"

Ashe walked in and raised the bra up, not really hearing his question. "What's this?"

Tryndamere gaped at her, while he blushed madly, his question forgotten. He didn't exactly see what the bra and panties he had bought looked like. He had asked a female employee to pick one out for him, telling her that he wanted to surprise his girlfriend and himself with it to prevent him from seeing and picking the provocative undergarments.

"T-T-T-T-That's...! That's a b-b-bra!"

Ashe tilted her head. "A bra?"

"Yes!" Tryndamere dashed towards her and forced Ashe to put the hand that was holding the lingerie behind her back, not wanting to see it any more than he already had. "And you're not suppose to show it to men!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Are you really _that_ clueless to women's clothing!?"

"I guess," She blushed. "Umm, how do I, you know, put this on? The only bra that I have ever worn in my life is the sports type."

Tryndamere's already red face became redder, and she didn't know if it's because of anger or embarrassment. Truth be told, it's sort of both.

"You're _that_ clueless!?"

"Sorry."

"N-Never mind! You just need to put your arms through the shoulder straps and hook the clasp behind it. That's it."

"Oh, okay."

Ashe returned to her bedroom and locked herself inside again, leaving a flushed and embarrassed Tryndamere at the living room.

She walked back to the bag where she found the bra and reached back inside, pulling out a matching white and, not to mention, half see-through panties. She glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table.

"I better get dressed."

Ashe slipped off her shorts and peeled her shirt off of her and tossed them into the hamper. She then tugged her briefs off, also tossing them to the direction of the hamper. As soon as she was fully naked, she swiftly put on the panties and wore the bra that went with it.

It didn't take long for her to be done in wearing her clothes. Next thing she knew, she was looking at the full body mirror attached to the wall, already wearing the dress and matching shoes.

She returned to her bed and pulled out the powder from inside the smallest bag, putting some on her palms and spreading it evenly on her face. Next thing she took and held was the red lipstick Tryndamere bought for her.

While walking back to the mirror, she uncapped the lipstick and twisted it a bit. She stopped and leaned close to the mirror as she applied the red color on her lips.

 _'I wonder what Katarina would think if she sees me now.'_

Ashe stopped, staring at her lips in the reflection before looking into her own eyes.

 _'I'm thinking about her again.'_

...

 _'I'm always thinking about her.'_

...

...

...

...

...

She shook her head lightly.

 _'Stop it, Ashe. That's too... dangerous.'_

She finished applying lipstick on her lips and quickly decided to put the things she'd need for their fake date. Snatching the bag from the bed, she stuffed the lipstick, the powder, her phone, wallet and keys inside before grabbing her trench coat and leaving her bedroom.

Entering the living room, Tryndamere was utterly shocked to see her. He knew she's beautiful, but she didn't expect that she will look _this_ beautiful, especially in women's clothing.

"You look beautiful." He complimented with a genuine smile.

"Thank you." She thanked, smiling back to him.

"Your hair though,"

Tryndamere approached her and took her hair out of its usual low pony tail. He pulled out a small comb from his pocket and started styling her hair with it. When he finished, her hair was out of its usual brushed back state and is now in its naturally straight self, which framed her face nicely. She even has some side bangs half-draped over her right eye.

"Perfect."

"This feels really weird."

"That you're wearing clothes that aren't for men's?"

"Yes."

"You should actually wear clothes like this much more often. Your future boyfriend would be very lucky to have you, you know." He said with a grin.

She looked away and blushed lightly. "I'm not really planning on getting a boyfriend."

"What? Why?"

"I'm... not really into, well, men."

She tried. She really did. Whenever she's at school, she tried looking at the boys around, including Jayce, who is known as one of the most handsome students in VU, to see if it would capture her interest. But, it was futile. In the end, her gaze would usually wander to the nearest attractive female.

She wordlessly blamed Sierra for this. Being raised to act like a guy meant that her interests has also copied a real boy's own, so she found it useless to attempt in changing it.

There was even a time when she was unconsciously staring at Caitlyn's body, and thankfully, Vi didn't negatively react about it when she was caught it in the act. But, of course, that's a story for another time.

"Oh, I get it. You're batting for the other team."

"Batting for the what? What team?" She asked, clueless with the term Tryndamere used.

"You know," He made gestures with him holding a nonexistent baseball bat and swinging it. "Batting for the other team, get it?"

He received a confused look. Tryndamere sighed and shook his head. "You know what, never mind. Let's just go."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Athena Frost?"

"Yes," Tryndamere nodded as he drove. "That will be your alias. So, if somebody asks you who you are while we're at the mall, you tell them that you're Athena Frost."

"Are you sure no one would recognize me?"

"Positive."

"You sure?"

"Listen, Ashe. That's the reason why you have an alias." Tryndamere explained. "Besides, I'm sure the whole school would never think that _'Heartthrob Ashe'_ does cross-dressing."

"Seriously?" Ashe deadpanned, her worry vanishing in a split second. She never really did like the nickname the students in VU gave her.

"What? It's a catchy nickname, don't you think so?" Tryndamere asked her jokingly.

"One more joke like that and I'm backing out."

Tryndamere pursed his lips and made a move that looked like he was zipping his mouth shut, even adding a motion where he threw away the 'invisible' zipper.

...

...

...

"It's a waste that you bandage your chest."

 _'I knew he won't be able to keep himself quiet that long.'_

Ashe narrowed her eyes at her friend. She has a feeling that she wouldn't like how this new conversation will turn out.

"And why is it a waste?"

"Your boobs are huge."

...

...

...

"Stop the car. I'm getting out."

"Oh, come on, Ashe! It's just a joke!"

...!

"Don't open the door! We're in the middle of a highway!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina internally shoved away the urge in loudly groaning as she and her siblings walked through the mall, passing people they don't know.

"Why are we even here?" She finally asked. "I got better things to do at home."

"Like sit on your bed and think about Ashe?" Cassiopeia retorted back teasingly.

When she made a motion of lunging at her sister, Talon swiftly and calmly stepped in between them, taking up the role in being the human barrier between her and Cassiopeia.

"We're here," Talon spoke up. "Because Cassiopeia will be buying a new phone, since she dropped her last one in the toilet."

"Why the fuck did you drop your phone in the toilet?"

"I was just finished relaxing in the tub, and when I placed my phone on the toilet, so I can get out, it turned out to be open." Her green haired sibling calmly explained.

"What about you then, Tal? I'm pretty sure Cass can buy her phone by herself."

"There's a new laptop I've been waiting to come out, and today's the release of it. I plan on buying it. Coincidentally, _Hextech Gearz_ has it, and the phone model Cass wants can also be found there."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets, muttering. "I guess I could buy a new laptop too."

"That's the spirit, Kata." Cassiopeia said with a smile. "At this rate, you'll take your mind off of Ashe in no time!"

...

...

...

"Let me at her!"

"AH!"

"Katarina! Stop!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe and Tryndamere walked through the mall with one of her arms loosely wound around Tryndamere's right one. She may not have noticed it, but she captured the attention of almost every single person they passed, male and female.

But none of them being their _'target'_.

"Where's your ex-girlfriend?" She asked in a low volume.

"About that..." Tryndamere made an effort in avoiding her inquiring eyes. "Umm, we're too early. She won't be here for at least an hour. I kind of anticipated that there would be heavy traffic, but you know, there wasn't."

Ashe sighed and shook her head. "Well, what do we do for now?"

"Hmm... I've been planning on buying a new cellphone."

"Why? You still have one, right? I saw it last night."

Tryndamere chuckled a bit sheepishly, while he looked a bit embarrassed. "Earlier morning, while I was asleep, I ended up kicking my phone off my bed. And when I woke up and got off the bed, well... I'm sure you know what happened next."

"You stepped on your own phone? Seriously?"

"I was still sleepy that time, alright? Give me a break."

"Fine, fine." Ashe waved a hand. "Let's look around for a phone. Is there a branch of Hextech Gearz here?"

"Yup. Second floor."

"Up the escalator, then."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Caitlyn, Orianna, Blitzcrank, Ezreal and Jayce watched as Vi and her younger sister, Jinx, viewed the gadgets and gizmos displayed around the famous technology distributor, Hextech Gearz.

"What are they looking for?" Orianna asked in general.

"Jinx is looking for a new laptop since she broke her old one when she sat on it a few days ago." Ezreal answered.

"And Vi told me she needed a new tablet." Jayce added.

"A new tablet?" Blitzcrank asked in confusion.

Jayce nodded. "Yep."

"What happened to the one I gave her last year?" Caitlyn asked, not knowing a single clue on why Vi and Jinx, mostly Vi, suddenly dragged them to the mall, other than just hanging out.

"Vi told me she dropped a _large cupcake_ on her tablet last night and it broke." Jayce shrugged. "I don't really know what that means. Could a cupcake really be _that_ heavy?"

"That make no sense." Orianna, Blitzcrank and Ezreal chorused.

Beside Jayce, Caitlyn lowered her gaze a bit, trying her best to hide the blush that painted her face with a bright red color.

"Well, me, Ori and Blitz are gonna bounce for now. We'll see you guys at the coffee shop, 'kay?" Ezreal said as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

"We'll catch up." Jayce replied, while Caitlyn silently nodded.

The trio left the store, but it didn't take long for another trio to come in and replace their presence.

"Look around, Kata. You might see something you like. Other than Ashe, you know."

Caitlyn heard someone say from behind her, a threatening growl following afterwards. She looked over her shoulder and found the three Du Couteau siblings entering through the shop's entrance.

"Stay away from anything white. You'll only remember Ashe if you see something in that specific color." She heard Cassiopeia tease before said female separated from the two and headed towards the area where the cellphones are.

"I'm going to kill her." Katarina grunted.

"Hold yourself back until I finish buying what I came for. I don't want us getting kicked out of the store." Talon said to the redhead before leaving her and making his way towards the computer slash laptop area.

"Hello, Katarina." Caitlyn greeted as soon as the red haired female noticed her.

"Oh, it's _you_."

"Yes, it's _me_." She kept her voice calm and collected, just like always. "Looking for a new gadget, I assume."

"Not in the mood for it anymore, thank to Cass."

"Hang with us while your siblings look around." Jayce invited with a flirtatious grin.

Caitlyn almost rolled her eyes at his behaviour. It's no wonder Vi never got together with him and instead, chose her over him. She always felt a sense of triumph for a moment just by thinking about it.

"Whatever." Katarina muttered, idling just beside her, hands inside her pockets and her usual scowl on her face.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina murmured in her thoughts, silently planning on ways how to murder her own sister. She went with her siblings because she didn't want to think about Ashe. The more she did, the more she dug her own grave deeper and deeper.

She knew that she probably would have gone crazy in her room if her siblings, mostly Talon, hadn't convinced her to go with them at the mall.

 _'Think about Hextech, Katarina. Think about Hextech, gears, bolts, cogs...-'_

"Hey, is that Tryndamere?" Jayce's voice suddenly broke her out of her reverie.

She raised her head and found Jayce and Caitlyn looking over at their right. She followed their gazes, and there, she found, a few meters away from her sister, is Tryndamere. The guy's back faced them, but they knew just by the body's build that it's the man Jayce assumed.

"Is he with a new girlfriend of his?" Jayce asked, eyeing the white haired girl beside him, back also facing them.

 _'What the fuck?'_ Katarina stopped herself from throwing her arms in the air in exasperation. It's as if all the angels and demons had converged and plotted a plan to make her day a living heaven slash hell.

Here she is, trying her best to _not_ think of a certain white haired female, and here _that_ girl is, possessing white hair and all.

Oh, how Katarina wanted to grab the nearest object she could find and throw it at a random person just to vent out or something of that sort.

"Hey!" Jayce called, waving a hand up in the air. "Tryndamere! Over here!"

Tryndamere stopped and looked over to them. His eyes widened for a moment before he whipped his gaze towards the girl beside him. Jayce may not have noticed the look of shock and panic on Tryndamere's face, but Katarina and Caitlyn sure did.

After a moment of conversing with the girl, Tryndamere and the said female made their way to them, the girl keeping her head bowed down, which hid her face from them.

Katarina's eyebrows furrowed. _'What the hell's wrong with this girl? Is she that shy to bend her head down just to keep her face hidden?'_

"Hey, Jayce. Caitlyn. Katarina." Tryndamere greeted, the feigned grin he plastered over his face wasn't enough to hide the panic in his eyes, which the two females instantly noticed.

Caitlyn does have the reputation of being a human lie detector, and Katarina can just really tell when a person is as nervous as fuck.

"Who's that you're with? New girlfriend?" Jayce inquired.

"She's not my girlfriend." Tryndamere clarified. "But, we're on the dating stage."

"Oh, I get it."

While the two conversed, the other two took the time to audit the shy female beside their brute-looking friend. Caitlyn was hoping to catch a clear look at the girl, but the bangs of the girl helped in concealing her face.

Katarina though, she literally ogled at the girl to the fullest extent. The female's body was too... familiar to her. She just can't seem to put her finger on it.

"I'm Jayce, Jayce Mercury." The playboy introduced. "What's your name, pretty lady?"

Tryndamere looked downright nervous as he glanced at the girl beside him.

 _'Look up, dammit.'_ Katarina hissed in her mind, obviously feeling impatient.

Finally...

...

...

...

 _'Holy shit!'_ Katarina practically slapped a hand on her mouth to keep herself from vocalizing the string of profanities that threatened to pour out of it.

"I'm Athena Frost," The girl introduced with a smile that looked too sincere to be called a fake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Why, the pleasure is all mine, Miss Athena." Jayce said in a suave manner, wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously. It's completely obvious that he bought the disguise of the girl.

Caitlyn's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"Um, I, uhh, excuse me, I need to..." Caitlyn tried coming up with an excuse, but she ended up just turning and walking away murmuring a low _'excuse me'_ as she did.

Katarina stared in shock as she saw her _'boyfriend'_ actually, and FINALLY, wearing clothes that complimented her body.

' _Athena'_ still hadn't noticed her. Well, until she feigned a cough, which caused the white haired girl to turn to her and widen her eyes as soon as it made contact with her own.

"Umm, Athena," She grunted, the name sounding quite wrong on her tongue. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

 _'Athena'_ nodded once before turning to look Tryndamere. "Trynd, why don't you keep Jayce company for a while?"

"Uhh, sure."

As soon as Jayce and Tryndamere directed their attention away from them, Katarina instantly grabbed one of Ashe's hands and quickly pulled her away, pushing her behind a bunch of stacked of boxes before also following.

"Umm, I can explain?" Ashe said, her words coming out, and looking, very unsure.

"What the fuck is this!?" She whisper-yelled as she gestured at Ashe. "Who the fuck can actually explain _this_!?"

"It's a long story, Katarina. And right now, I don't think it's the appropriate time to explain it to you." Ashe answered, sounding as if she was pleading.

Katarina stopped herself from just exploding on the spot. Instead of doing just that, she deeply breathed inhaled...

Only for Ashe's fresh peppermint scent to fill her nostrils.

Instead of exhaling calmly, she groaned loudly. Using her thumb and index finger, she rubbed her eyes, while she placed her right hand on her hip.

"What the hell are you getting yourself into, Ashe?" She muttered.

"I'm sorry." Came Ashe's sincere apology.

Katarina sighed and took her fingers away from her eyes, which then suddenly zeroed in on Ashe's red lips, which are slightly pouted.

Since the boxes offered only a small space of cover, their bodies are practically against each other. Well, not literally. In Katarina's opinion, they're so close that it's enough to be considered criminal.

She could wrap her arm around Ashe's shoulders and just lean forward to get a taste of those sweet...-!

 _'Fuuuuck!'_ She cursed in her mind, wanting to bang her head against the wall and the same time just encircle her arms around Ashe and touch her...-!

"Listen," Ashe suddenly spoke, placing a hand on her cheek. "I'll be careful, alright? I won't expose my secret to anyone else."

Katarina knew it was pathetically useless to prevent herself from blushing visibly. In fact, her face is so warm that it feels like all the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks.

"W-Whatever."

"Are you worried that I'll expose my secret?"

 _'Expose it to the whole world for all I care! I actually prefer you being a girl!'_

"Yes." She lied.

"Don't worry about it."

 _'Tell her, Katarina. Tell her!'_

'Tell her what?'

'Tell her you want a real relationship!'

 _'Do I!?'_

"Katarina?" Ashe called out softly, a concerned look in her cerulean eyes.

 _'Can I live without her?'_ She asked herself.

The thought of Ashe being with and held by someone and that someone not being her...

Katarina could feel her stomach churn just by thinking about it. She knew in that moment that she will utterly regret it if she were to let Ashe slip away.

 _'I do... I actually do! I actually do want a fucking serious relationship with her!'_

...

...

...

"Ashe, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"This pretend relationship of ours,"

"What about it?"

 _'You can do this, Katarina. You can do this. If you can beat up ten men with your eyes closed and tied behind your back, then you can fucking confess your goddamn feelings!'_

"We have to...-!"

"Athena? Athena!" Came Tryndamere's calls.

Talk about bad timing.

"Oh, I have to go, Katarina. Let's continue this later, okay? I promise I'll explain everything to you once this is all over."

She couldn't say anything, but, "Sure, whatever."

Ashe flashed a smile at her, leaned forward...

And...

Planted a kiss on her right cheek.

"I'll see you later." Ashe murmured before walking out of their hiding spot.

Katarina stared at the spot where Ashe stood just a moment ago. Her body felt like it was frozen by ice, while her cheek, the one Ashe kissed, burned and tingled. She reached up with one hand and touched her cheek, her fingertips also tingling as it made contact with it.

"Who would have known..."

She scoffed half-heartedly.

"...That I'd break my own rules."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Aaaaand boom, that's a wrap for this chapter. :D_


	19. Chapter 19

**ACT 19**

Ashe and Tryndamere exited the electronics store with Tryndamere practically babbling over and over about them being almost caught and exposed. Ashe though, she remained quiet and mostly kept to herself.

Her mind kept rewinding the part where she kissed Katarina on the cheek. She didn't know what came over her. It was completely unnecessary to do that, since she's not even in her _'usual'_ state of appearance. Right now, she's Athena Frost, Tryndamere's so called date. Not Ashe Avarosa, Katarina's fake boyfriend.

Ashe knew that she has a lot to explain to Katarina, especially the reason why she's even wearing clothes for women. It's not like it's illegal to do so, but it is to her stepmother though.

While they walked, Ashe's mind kept going back to Katarina. No matter how hard she tried, she can't help but think of the redhead.

 _'I wonder what she thought of my appearance.'_

She could feel the need to know what her _'girlfriend'_ thought of her, yet she couldn't pinpoint the main reason why.

"Hey, Trynd,"

"Hmm?"

"Do you... Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Tryndamere shot her a confused look. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"Am I ugly?"

"Of course not. You're beautiful, you know."

"Hmm, thanks."

"You look bothered, Ashe. Something wrong?"

"..."

Ashe knew that Tryndamere's just worried for her, but she kept asking herself if she should tell him everything. Open up and talk to him about her thoughts and doubts about everything.

"Listen. I guess this plan was stupid from the very start." Tryndamere sighed as they halted their walk. He scratched the back of his head, while he plastered an apologetic look on his face. "I put your secret at risk earlier, and I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your stepmother because of me."

"Are you sure, Tryndamere? What about your ex-girlfriend?" She asked worriedly.

She felt a bit guilty that Tryndamere was cancelling their plan because of his concern to her, but she really did appreciate the fact that he's worried for her.

Tryndamere waved a hand, chuckling. "I'll win her back the hard way. There aren't any shortcuts in love, right? Besides, I would probably just lower my chances in getting back with her if we continue this little date as a couple or something."

"I guess... Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Umm, how do you know if... you're in love with someone?"

She expected that Tryndamere would take a moment to think of answer for her question, but her 'date' didn't even flinch as he answered right off the bat.

"You'll just know it, ya know?"

"That doesn't really make any sense." She muttered, disappointed with Tryndamere's answer.

"Okay, I guess my answer was crap. Hmm," Tryndamere rubbed his chin with a finger as he started thinking of a much better and sensible answer. "Oh, I got it!"

"Please tell me this next answer of yours actually makes sense."

"It does." He confidently replied before he cleared his throat. "You'll know when you're in love when you can't stop thinking of a certain someone. You'll also feel your heart go crazy when you're with this person."

"Is... that it?"

"You'll maybe feel, you know, at home with this person. Get my drift? Whenever you're in this person's arms, you feel safe and sound, or whenever this person is in your arms, you'll get this feeling in not wanting to let him or her go."

Ashe looked down to her right hand and focused her gaze to the silver promise ring she had acquired when she and Katarina were _'wed'_ to each other. The shiny accessory reflected the light, causing it to glimmer a bit.

"Oh, and if you want a complete confirmation, whenever you kiss this person and you feel like you just can't stop and get enough of him or her, then that's it. That's the big bang, if you know what I mean. If you kiss someone and it felt nothing, then, in my opinion, that person isn't _'The One'_ for you."

Ashe opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off before she could utter a single syllable.

"Don't confuse it with lust though. Sometimes, love can be confused with lust."

"Umm, how so?"

"Some people assume that they _'love'_ someone because they want that specific someone's body. The way I see it, there's two kinds of lusts."

"And those are...?"

"Good lust and bad lust."

Ashe knew that if she were an anime character, she probably would have sweat-dropped at his answer.

"What's the difference between those two?"

"Your lust can be referred to as _'good lust'_ if you want to actually make love to your lover. This kind of lust is something you usually feel for the person you love. You just want to make them feel your love for them with your physical touch, you put their pleasure first before yours, and!" Tryndamere raised a finger. "You want to savour the moment with them."

She contemplated Tryndamere's answer for a moment before nodding and asking, "What about the _'bad lust'_?"

"Easy. Bad lust is when you just want to have sex with an attractive person. No feelings involved."

"Oh."

...

...

...

She knew she caught Tryndamere by surprise when she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"A-Ashe...?"

"Thank you, Tryndamere," She whispered with a small smile. "For everything."

Despite Tryndamere's rather unusual way of phrasing in some of his words, it made sense and truthfully speaking, she learned a lot about love and lust and the difference between those two things.

Tryndamere's surprised face morphed into a sincere one as he gently returned the hug Ashe gave her.

"You're welcome, Ashe."

...

...

...

"Tryndamere?"

Tryndamere instantly whipped his gaze to the direction where the person who called his name stood, his eyes widening as he saw who it is.

His ex-girlfriend.

"Sejuani!?"

Ashe's eyes snapped open and she and Tryndamere immediately took a step away from each other. She looked towards the same direction Tryndamere stared to and there, she found his ex-lover, who also turned out to be...

Her cousin.

"S-Sej...!"

Sejuani stood there with their eldest cousin, Lissandra, and two of her friends Olaf and Udyr. Her cousin raised a clenched fist and glared at Tryndamere.

"What the fuck is this supposed to mean!?"

Lissandra squinted her eyes as she audited Ashe, and Ashe instantly knew, just by her scrutinizing gaze, that Lissandra recognized her.

Before Sejuani could lunge at either her or Tryndamere, Lissandra stepped forward and blocked an arm in front of their enraged cousin.

"We merely see you once a year every family reunion," Lissandra spoke, which captured practically everyone's attention. "Sejuani and I had always been... intrigued by you and your secret."

"Lissandra, what're you talking about?" Sejuani questioned, clearly confused.

"Look closer, dear cousin." Lissandra murmured, briefly pointing a finger at Ashe.

Ashe froze and didn't dare breathe as Sejuani audited her whole body with a cold gaze. The cold gaze though, it softened a bit when Sejuani realized who she is.

"Ashe?" Sejuani finally asked after examining her.

Lissandra crossed her arms. "There's only one person that calls Sejuani by that nickname. Right... Ashe?"

She parted her lips to say something, to deny, or to make up excuses. But, in the end, she knew that she couldn't bear lying to her cousins. Despite them seeing each other once a year, the two are the closest thing she could consider as her sisters.

"Don't tell Sierra." Was the only thing Ashe could say to them.

Lissandra's stoic expression remained undisturbed, except her ice blue eyes, which softened visibly.

"If you're not too busy, Sejuani and I would like to talk to you."

Tryndamere opened his mouth to say something, but Sejuani growled and raised a hand to shut him up.

"Alone, Tryndamere." Sejuani narrowed her eyes back to its original glaring state. "This business concerns only the three of us."

"Udyr, Olaf," Lissandra stepped forward and pulled Ashe to the side, Sejuani following closely. "Keep Tryndamere company until we get back. We'll just have a talk with Ashe.

"Er, if you say so." Udyr said, while Olaf just settled on nodding.

As Ashe was pulled away by her two cousins, she can't help but just silently pray for all of this to be over. If she were asked, she would have just stayed at her apartment and think about a certain someone.

But, no. Apparently, faith and destiny just wanted to screw her day up.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe, Lissandra and Sejuani sat at the edge of the fountain found at the center of the mall, Ashe sitting in between her two cousins.

"Sejuani, before you jump into any conclusions," She decided to speak first. "Tryndamere and I are just friends. I only hugged him because he gave me some advice that I was really thankful for and...-!"

"Ashe, just shut up." Sejuani deadpanned. "There's a reason why I broke up with that idiot, so don't bother explaining yourself."

"Besides, it is not him we are here to talk about." Lissandra added, while Sejuani nodded.

"We're here to talk about me, right?" She asked, head bowed down while she played with her fingers nervously.

"Why do you sound look like we're going to crush you with our bare hands? For Freljord's sake, Ashe, we're just her to talk."

Sejuani is clearly not the type to take it easy with her words, and surely didn't prefer sugar-coating them to make them sound nicer and such.

"Let me start our talk by asking you," Lissandra pointed at her. "To start from the very beginning."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Lissandra and Sejuani had unreadable looks in their eyes as soon as Ashe finished telling them about everything, the last one being the latest time that Sierra had locked her in her closet. The only info she has yet to tell them is her fake relationship with Katarina and the sweet moments the involved the two of them.

"This Katarina girl," Lissandra mentioned. "She's always around, isn't she?"

"She is."

"You trust her?" Sejuani asked.

"Of course, as much as I trust you both."

"What's your relationship with her?" Lissandra questioned, giving her a look that clearly told her not to lie.

"We're... friends." Ashe wanted to kick herself for her hesitance.

Why did she hesitate? Oh, it's because she doesn't see Katarina as _'just a friend'_ to begin with. In fact, ever since Tryndamere told her about how to know if she's in love with someone, she's a hundred percent sure that she can't look at Katarina the same way again.

And she doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

 ** _Snap!_**

Ashe shook her head and turned to Sejuani, who had just snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"You're obviously too busy thinking of her."

She instantly blushed visibly. "N-No, I wasn't!"

"You stuttered." Lissandra pointed out flatly.

"S-Stop it!" She clenched her eyes shut as her face increased its warmth.

"Just tell us now before I go and give Tryndamere a piece of my mind." Sejuani said as she stood up from her place.

"It's complicated, alright?"

"Is that your answer to everyone who asks you about her?" The two chorused.

 _'Yes.'_

"Umm, sort of."

"Well, we've already spent a whole hour sitting here and conversing," She copied Lissandra, who also stood up. "Would you like to accompany us for the day?"

"I may have to decline that offer for now. I still have to talk to someone."

"How about tomorrow, then?" Lissandra asked.

"I guess tomorrow would be fine. After school, that is."

"Great. We'll see you tomorrow. Meet up is here at the mall's fountain, five-thirty." Sejuani briefly waved goodbye before walking away.

"Bye, Sej."

Ashe always knew Sejuani wasn't really the 'showy' type of person between the three of them, so she didn't expect her to flash a smile or anything close to a warm gesture.

"See you tomorrow, Ashe. Don't worry about your secret. It's safe with me and Sejuani."

And neither is Lissandra.

She offered a small thankful smile at Lissandra before she watched her eldest cousin walk away and follow Sejuani's trail. She waited for both of her cousins until they were out of her line of sight before she opened her bag and pulled out her phone. The _'Contacts'_ app was opened and no sooner did she find herself looking at Katarina's Caller ID occupying the gadget's screen.

Ashe pushed the call button before placing the phone against her right ear. While she waited for Katarina to pick up, she clutched the strap of her bag with her free hand. Her heartbeat slightly picked up, and it didn't go unnoticed by Ashe herself.

 _'I'm just going to talk to her.'_ She thought. _'Why am I so nervous?'_

"Ashe?"

Ashe herself almost jumped as soon as the call connected and Katarina's voice came through the small speaker of her cellphone. She took a quick yet quiet breath before she found her voice.

"Katarina, can we meet up?"

"Are you still at the mall?"

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

"At the center, just beside the fountain."

"I'll meet you there in a minute. Wait for me."

 ** _Ba-bump!_**

Ashe's breath hitched in her throat as soon as she heard those three words from Katarina. It's not like Katarina had told her that to flirt with her or mean it in any romantic manner or gesture, but she still found her heart rate speeding up.

Slowly, her lips curved into a smile.

"Always."

 _ **Click!**_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina stared at her cellphone's screen as soon as Ashe had ended the call. When she heard Ashe's reply, she didn't make that much of a big deal out of it, thinking it was just plain unusual. But, as soon as she heard her hang up, she suddenly realized what she had said to actually get that reply.

She stared at the blank image of the caller ID of her so called _'boyfriend'_ , feeling a bit nervous herself. On the other hand, she isn't too fond of the fact that Ashe's contact info not having an image assigned to it.

Cassiopeia's contact image is a _'chibi version'_ of a half-snake her, and Talon, well, his contact info's image is literally a picture of a creature's talon. And yes, Katarina assigned that pic on purpose as some sort of joke.

She decided that she will **(try to)** gather up the courage to ask Ashe for a picture of her.

 _'I'm sure it's not that hard.'_

Katarina never really saw any pictures of a smiling Ashe at the Avarosa's apartment whenever she visited, so to see an image of her smiling genuinely...

That moment when she realized that if Ashe will agree to it, then that means she will probably the first person to possess a picture of Ashe, smiling and happy. She unconsciously placed a hand over her chest to feel her heart's mildly frantic beating.

 _'Oh, Ashe... What you do to me is just unexplainable.'_

She tucked her phone back inside her pocket and stood up from the table. Her siblings had taken her to a fast-food restaurant to get some lunch, but she didn't really eat anything. She merely stole a few fries from Cassiopeia and Talon's orders. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts, and now, she has a valid excuse to leave her siblings.

"Excuse me." She muttered as she got off of her seat.

"Going somewhere?" Talon asked.

"Or, meeting someone?" Cassiopeia teased as she sipped from her drink.

"Latter." Katarina grunted before turning around and walking away from her siblings.

Just when she thought she was finally safe from her siblings, mostly from Cassiopeia, and their teasing quips, her sister suddenly shouted out to her.

"Try to talk to her first before you rip her clothes off, okay?"

Katarina growled under her breath before increasing her walking pace, putting as much distance as she can between her and her annoying sister and trying to ignore the looks the people gave her.

It didn't take long for her to find Ashe at the fountain, sitting on the edge and fiddling with her fingers while waiting for her. She took a deep breath before walking up to Ashe, who has been capturing the eyes of many men around the area for the past few minutes.

"Hey,"

Ashe raised her head and met her gaze. "Hey, Katarina."

"Your date left you?"

"Well, not really." Ashe scooted to the left before patting the spot where she was seated just a second ago. "Come, sit."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes half-heartedly as she sat down beside her _'boyfriend'_. "Well? What happened?"

"The plan didn't really go as we expected."

"Why?"

"It turns out, Tryndamere's ex-girlfriend is my cousin, Sejuani. She didn't notice or recognize me at first, but my other cousin who was with her, Lissandra, immediately did."

"Huh, you actually have cousins?"

"Yeah. We only see each other once every year whenever we attend the family reunion." She explained. "Lissandra and Sejuani ended up taking me with them and bringing me here at the fountain to talk to me."

"Let me guess, they don't know about you being _'dick-less'_?"

Ashe blushed due to her wording, and she honestly found it... cute. Her thoughts then reminded her of the most important matter she needed to tell and discuss with Ashe.

"They do now." Ashe murmured.

"And how did that go?"

"They told me they'll keep it a secret."

"Sure about that?"

"Of course," Ashe answered with a confident look. "They're practically my sisters, despite the fact that we only see each other once a year."

"Whatever."

"So, umm," Her pretend boyfriend now looked shy as she tucked some of her white hair behind her left ear. "About our _'relationship'_... You wanted to talk about it, right?"

"Right, umm," She scratched the back of her head. "About that..."

Ashe tilted her head, patiently waiting for her to continue while gazing at her with curiosity.

"We don't have to continue it anymore."

"Huh? Why?"

"My father already knows it's all make-believe. I already told him everything."

Ashe's eyes widened. "Everything?"

"Yeah, but he figured out that you were a girl all by himself. I don't know how, but he did. My siblings though... I accidentally slipped up when I had hit you with the roses. I ended up referring to you as a _'her'_ instead of _'him'_ , which caused them to investigate and what not."

"Oh, I see..."

"They have no intentions in revealing your secret to anyone else, so you don't have to worry about them."

"I'm not really worried about that."

"Then, what are you worried about?" She looked towards Ashe and found her with a frown on her face. "Ashe...?"

...

...

...

"Does that mean we have to go our separate ways and never see each other again?"

"W-What!?" Her eyes widened. "Who the hell told you that?"

"You did."

 _'I DID!?'_

"When?"

"Remember the first time I brought you to my apartment?" Ashe asked, to which she nodded, almost dumbly. "You told me that after this relationship, we're going to go our separate ways and never see each other again."

"Forget about that! That was the old me talking!"

"Forget about it? But...-!"

She placed two of her hands on Ashe's shoulder and wore a serious expression on her face. "Listen, Ashe. I don't want that anymore, okay? I've said and done a lot of things that I've regretted in the past. Honestly, all I want right now is...!"

Katarina stopped, her words suddenly clogging in her throat as soon as she realized what she was about to say.

"Want what?" Came Ashe's question, an inquiring gaze focused solely on her.

She stared at the female she could feel her heart becoming wild and erratic for. Those love-filled eyes, those warm red lips, the soft white strands she called her hair... How true it is that she won't be able to honor the words she had told Ashe when she had agreed to be her _'boyfriend'_.

How she wants to just keep Ashe for herself, make sure Riven doesn't make a move on her. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage, bluntly telling her that there was no way it would continue to beat if she were to let Ashe go now.

Her hands moved from Ashe's shoulders to the sides of her face. Leaning forward, she placed her lips on Ashe's forehead, eyes fluttering close in the process. She kept her lips against Ashe's forehead as she replied.

"All I want is you."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe was beyond in the state of just being shock. In fact, it felt like her brain malfunctioned and caused her to mishear Katarina's words and process her actions incorrectly.

But, no matter how much she tried rewinding the recently-made memory over and over again in her head, there was no denying the fact that what she had heard and felt is as true as it can get.

"Do you... really mean that?"

This time, it was her turn to ask that question. It had always been Katarina who uttered those words, but now, she found herself asking the same question she's been asked more than once.

Katarina pulled away and offered a small but reassuring smile to her.

"I mean it."

"Is this a dream?"

The redhead gave her a slightly amused look. "No, Ashe, this isn't a dream."

"If this is a dream, I want to wake up now. Please."

"I assure you, Ashe, this is all real."

...

...

...

Suddenly, she hooked both of her hands behind Katarina's head and pulled her in for an unexpected kiss. Due to her eyes being closed, she didn't see the surprised look in Katarina's emerald eyes.

Just like what she had hoped and expected, the feeling of not wanting to detach her lips from Katarina's consumed her for a moment before she managed to calm herself and do just that, ending their kiss and parting away from a completely surprised Du Couteau.

Katarina stared at her with a mildly agape jaw, still feeling stunned with her sudden gesture. Not that the redhead minded though.

"It _is_ real..."

"I really didn't expect that." Katarina managed to leave her trance-like state and reply back. She quickly collected her thoughts and conjured up her next set of words. "Can I ask you a question?"

They both already leaned away from each other and resumed their straight postures, but Ashe noticed that her right hand is still loosely intertwined with Katarina's left one. She fought back a smile and just made no comment about it. After all, her cold touch contrasted with Katarina's warm one comfortably.

"Anything."

"Are you willing to start over again?"

"Start over?"

Katarina nodded, eyes trailing away and cheeks coloring with a light pink hue yet again. "A real relationship with me, maybe?"

"You... want me to... be your real boyfriend?"

To this question of hers, Katarina shook her head. "Not as my boyfriend."

"Then, as what, exactly?"

"As my real girlfriend."

She stared at Katarina with wide eyes, not believing for a moment that this is actually her reality now. But then, a nasty problem popped inside her head. A problem that went by the name Sierra.

"What about Sierra?"

"Whenever we're out, I'll still refer to you as my boyfriend. I'll still keep your secret."

"But, what if she...-!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, alright?"

The reassuring gaze Katarina gave her made her relax from her tense self and soon, she found herself embracing Katarina.

"There's no one I'd rather be with, but you, Katarina."

"Whenever we're alone," She felt Katarina return the embrace. "Call me _'Kat'_."

She smiled against Katarina's shoulder.

"My Kitty Kat."

Katarina gave her a light tap on the back of her head, while she spoke, humor lacing her voice.

"Don't push it."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note:** _Uuuggghh! So cliché!_

 _Why did I even type this? :P Lol! XD_


	20. Chapter 20

**ACT 20**

The moon shined brightly above the Du Couteau mansion, and inside, the four residents are eating dinner with silence that came close to being considered comfortable.

While Katarina seemed to be in a daze, her other three relatives merely gave her looks and glances as they ate. As she devoured her meal, she had realized something.

She must have been bestowed upon the supernatural ability of complete self-control by the Heavens when she was born. It may sound a bit... unrealistic and stupid, yes, she admits that, but to think that she restrained herself from just pushing Ashe inside the Avarosa's apartment and just tear her dress into shreds with her own bare hands to ravish her tempting body.

So, yes, she may actually be supernaturally gifted.

After she and Ashe finally decided to start an official relationship, she was ecstatic. Of course she did her best to not just jump in the air and act all giddy and excited. No, no, that is not how Katarina Du Couteau reacts.

She's already too... out of character whenever she smiles and acts so kind to Ashe. For her, she had already accepted the fact that Ashe is her exception to everything, and that's a good thing, for her and for her _'new'_ and official girlfriend. Oh, how that sounded so right in her mind.

"Someone seems to be a smitten kitten." Cassiopeia teased, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Katarina looked up from her plate and narrowed her eyes st her sister. "What?"

"You're practically daydreaming of her, aren't you? Just admit it."

"No, I'm not. Shut up."

"Yes, you are." Cassiopeia said back.

"No, I'm not." She snarled.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm no...-!"

"How are you and Ashe?" Marcus suddenly, and bluntly, asked, cutting off hers and Cassiopeia's back-and-forth, and not to mention, childish, debate.

 _'Well, he sure knows how to sugar-coat his words.'_ She thought sardonically. ' _He's blunter than a sledgehammer.'_

She glared at her own food before grunting, "Fine."

"When are you going to introduce her to us...-!"

"You already know her."

Katarina immediately pursed her lips when she noticed that her father was giving her a sharp look. She shrunk in her seat a little as inconspicuously as possible.

"As I was saying," Her father spoke again, keeping his gaze, which she found a tad bit scary, focused on her. "When are you going to introduce her to us as your girlfriend?"

"I don't know," She muttered as she rolled a broccoli on her plate with her fork. "After a week? A month?"

"Unsure?" Talon asked in a low volume, almost sounding like he was murmuring.

"It's not that."

"Then, what is it?" Cassiopeia leaned back on her chair, crossing her arms and putting on a mildly impatient look.

"We're still trying this real relationship thing, and besides," She let go of her knife and fork and shot a pointed look. "Why do I have to tell you three? If you haven't realized it yet, this is my _personal_ life. I'd appreciate some privacy, thank you very much."

All she got from Cassiopeia was an eye roll and silence from the other two. Stabbing the last piece of meat on her plate, she practically shoved it inside her mouth before sloppily leaving her eating utensils on her plate as she stood up.

She didn't bother asking herself to be excused. As soon as she was on her two feet, she walked out of the dining room and went to her bedroom.

Closing her room's door behind her, she walked towards her bed and flopped down on it. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, not really knowing what to focus her attention to.

After what seemed like hours of staring into space, she reached down to one of her pockets and pulled out her cellphone. She clicked one of the buttons at the side and it lit up, showing the lock screen and behind it, the default wallpaper of the gadget.

She never really did change her phone's background, never found a reason to do so. Unlocking her phone, she swiped through the apps installed in it. There wasn't that much entertaining applications, since she only used her phone to call and text. Sometimes she played a few games, but other than that, nothing.

When she got bored of swiping again and again across the screen, she sighed and just dropped her phone beside her.

"Ugh, I'm bored." She grumbled to the air, rubbing her hand on her face. "This sucks."

As she rubbed her face, she felt something cool touch her jaw. She reopened her eyes and raised her right wrist, instantly spotting the silver charm bracelet Ashe had given her. The small rubies and sapphires sparkling a bit as the light around its surroundings reflected on it.

"Ashe..." She whispered absent-mindedly, staring at the bracelet in slight awe.

Slowly, her gaze trailed to the promise ring wound around one of her fingers. Ashe's promise echoed in her thoughts as her stare fixated itself to it.

 _'I want her here.'_

 _'You just saw each other a few hours ago!'_ A voice inside her head told her in a scolding manner. _'You can't just demand her to go here!'_

Her stubborn side won't have it though. She guessed that she was being too childish and clingy, but hey, she is known to be quite selfish.

And, what the heck, right?

She picked up her phone again and opened up the _'Messages',_ typing up a text to send to Ashe. She didn't send it immediately when she finished composing it though.

 _'Why am I doing this again?'_

Oh, it's because she misses Ashe. Her touch, her scent, her smile, her presence, everything. With a mental shrug, she tapped her thumb on the word _'Send'_.

 **Katarina** : _Come to the house. I want you here._

She stared at her text for a second or two before locking her phone and dropping it to her side again. Those simple words seem to be enough to sound like her. Obviously, she didn't want to put _'I miss you'_ or something mushy like that. That is not her style.

"It's not like she's gonna take it seriously anyway." Katarina muttered, wanting to roll her eyes at her own immaturity. She thought of sending another message, telling Ashe to not mind her previous one, but like what she had just said, it isn't like Ashe will take her _'order'_ seriously, right?

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe yawned as she walked towards her bed, wearing nothing but a pair of loose boxers. She had just finished taking a bath and is already preparing herself to sleep. Again, she wore no top clothing at all, leaving her torso bare. She wasn't used to wearing a shirt for sleeping anymore.

Just a minute ago, she tried putting on a shirt for her to wear in her sleep, but it didn't feel right. It felt unusual for her, so she ended up taking it off and putting it back to her dresser.

Pushing the blanket down a bit, she slipped under it and pulled it up until it covered her shoulders. She leaned towards her bedside lamp and turned it off, making herself comfortable after. She placed her head on one pillow while she hugged another one in her arms.

Just when she was about to close her eyes...!

 ** _Buzz! Buzz!_**

Ashe lifted her head from the pillow and looked over the one in her arms, eyes landing on her cellphone, which had recently vibrated and is now serving as one of the light in the dark room, the moonlight being the other source.

Only a handful of people knows her number, so she didn't really expect someone to suddenly send a message to her in 8 o'clock in the evening. Yes, she sleeps as early as this time.

 _'Who could it be?'_

She reached out to her bedside table and took her cellphone, lightly pressing her thumb against the ' _View Message'_ sign on the gizmo's screen.

The text message opened and occupied the screen, letting her discover that it was actually Katarina who had sent the message.

 _'This is a bit... unexpected.'_ She thought with a pinch of surprise before reading the message the redhead had sent.

...

...

...

"She wants me to go to her house?" She vocalized, her face twisting into a confused look.

This is unexpected, indeed. Of all things Ashe had anticipated, this was none of those things. Katarina suddenly _'demanding'_ for her to go to her house is a first. Even when they were in a fake relationship and Katarina was still mean towards her, the redhead never requested anything like this.

Sighing, she got up and slipped out of the comfort of her bed and walked towards her dresser. She took the shirt she had returned earlier and some shorts that are obviously not for women, as always.

She was just about to put her shirt on when she realized that her chest is still not bandaged yet. She reached out to the roll of bandages on top of her dresser, but stopped when her fingers were about to touch it.

 _'They know I'm not really a boy.'_ She recalled, remembering her talk with Katarina at the mall a few hours ago.

Ashe decided to just use the bra Tryndamere had given her this morning. She went to the small laundry room in her apartment, spotting the basket of folded laundry and taking the folded undergarment on top of it, leaving the matching underwear as she walked back to her bedroom.

 _'Well, they already know, so I'm sure they won't mind.'_ She thought as she started dressing up.

All prepared, she left her apartment with nothing but her keys, phone and wallet. As she rode the elevator down, she only had one thought in mind.

 _'Why does she want me to go to her house?'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Talon suppressed a yawn as he exited the kitchen, glass of water in hand. He finished his dinner exactly a mere minute after Katarina left, so now, he was already on his way back to his bedroom. He may not be the early bird between the three of them, but he sure does prefer sleeping early.

He already was halfway up the stairs when...

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

He stopped and looked over the railing and to the front door, which is where he heard someone use the rarely-touched door knocker. Usually, visitors and such use the doorbell, which is why, in his opinion, the door knocker is useless.

Step by step, he climbed back down the stairs and approached the double doors. He held the of knob of the door at his left and swung it open, revealing...

"Ashe," He greeted with his usual blank tone. "Evening."

"Good evening, Talon." Ashe greeted back with a small bow of her head.

He spared a glance at the doorbell. "Why didn't you use the doorbell?"

"Oh, um, I didn't want to disturb the ones who are already asleep."

"I see. Why are you here? In the middle of the night, no less."

"Oh, umm, Katarina texted me. Told me to go here."

"Why?" He can't help but ask.

Ashe lightly shrugged. "I don't really know. She just told me to come here because, well, she wants me to."

Hearing Ashe's answer, Talon fought back a smirk from appearing on his face.

 _'I didn't expect Katarina to be the cuddling type.'_ He thought with a tinge of amusement.

He stepped to the side and pulled the door open wider than before, inviting Ashe inside the house with a nod of his head. As Ashe walked in, he can't help but notice the lack of constriction around her chest area. To be honest, he can actually see the curve of Ashe's chest through the loose shirt.

Of course he kept his observation to himself. Wouldn't want to have his manhood cut off by his own sister.

"Katarina's at her room right now. I trust you can find your way there?"

Ashe nodded. "Thank you, Talon."

He silently watched as Ashe walked up the stairs and disappeared from his line of sight after a few seconds. Just in time too, since Cassiopeia suddenly walked out of the living room, holding an empty bowl of popcorn.

"You finished watching your movie?"

Cassiopeia, instead of answering his question, decided to reply with a question of her own.

"Who are you letting in?" She asked, pointing her bowl at the open door.

He calmly closed it before turning back to his sibling. "Katarina's girlfriend."

"Wait, she's here?"

"Ashe told me Katarina sent her a message, stating that she needs to go here because she wants her to."

Cassiopeia laughed in amusement.

"Oh, that's just rich!"

Talon had a thought that Cassiopeia will not be letting Katarina get away with this one.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina sighed in content as she exited the bathroom and rolled her shoulders, feeling quite refreshed and relaxed as her bones unwounded. Instead of dressing up immediately, she headed towards her bed and picked up her phone. She checked it if Ashe had replied back, which she discovered that she hadn't.

 _'She must be asleep by the time I sent the text.'_

"Fucking goodie two-shoes." She muttered, tossing her cellphone back to her bed.

Fifteen more minutes and it's 9 o'clock. She hadn't realized that she actually took more than half an hour in the bathroom. The thought of using all the hot water almost made her smirk, knowing her siblings, specifically her sister, still needs to take their own bath.

Without an inch of care to the world, she tugged her towel off of her, walking towards her closet afterwards.

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

She groaned. She instantly assumed that it must be Cassiopeia, probably wanting to poke fun at her and annoy her to death. Or probably yell at her for draining all the warm water. She didn't bother wrapping her towel around her herself again. Instead, she just pressed it against her front with one hand, while she used her other hand to grab the knob and practically throw the door open.

"Fuck off, Cass...-what the fuck!?"

"Kat...-!?" She heard Ashe yelp before she slammed the door close and leaned her back against it.

She felt her face grow warm in just a matter of milliseconds. In a flash, her towel was once again wrapped around her form.

"Did I catch you in, umm, a bad time?" She heard Ashe nervously ask from outside.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Katarina yelled, her face still profoundly warm.

"You asked for me, didn't you?"

"I...! I never thought you'd take it seriously!"

"O-Oh... Was... Was it a joke?"

She resisted the urge to slap a hand on her face.

"You know what! Just...! Just wait there! Give me a minute!"

"R-right..." Came Ashe's muffled reply.

Like a bullet, Katarina shot towards her closet in blinding speed.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe patiently waited outside her door, eyes glued to her feet while she let her blush simmer down. She hadn't seen much of Katarina's naked body, but she did notice the black tattoo at the left side of Katarina's midriff. She wasn't able to distinguish what it clearly looked like though, since Katarina had closed the door against her face before further observation was made.

She had merely yelped due to the surprise of Katarina's current state when she had opened the door. For a moment, she wondered why Katarina even opened the door while she was still not decent.

"Staying the night?"

Ashe snapped her head to her right and found Katarina's father standing there, looking at her with an expressionless face.

"Oh, umm, I'm not really sure."

"Why not?"

"Katarina sent me a text, telling me to come here."

"And you came here without even knowing the specific reason why?"

Ashe blushed in embarrassment, looking back down the floor. "Er, um, yes."

She felt like an idiot. She could have just texted Katarina and ask her why before she had gone here. Due to her sleepy state earlier, she didn't thought about that and just made her way to the Du Couteau mansion without a single thought.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Marcus walk past her. She waited for a few seconds before she risked in raising her head again, only to hear the general murmur over her shoulder.

"Attentive, aren't you?"

She spun around to face the man, but Marcus was already too far from her. Only when he disappeared from her sight when Katarina finally opened the door of her bedroom again. This time, she's already clothed in black shorts and a black tank top that's clearly one size smaller than her original size. The fact that it bore her bare stomach became enough proof of that.

"Come in." Katarina muttered, keeping her gaze anywhere but to her, while also giving enough space for her to walk through.

She stepped inside the room and halted her movement after a few steps. She heard Katarina close the door behind her before walking deeper into the room and sitting down at the foot of the bed.

"Take a seat." Katarina nodded her head to her side.

Quietly, and a tad bit nervously, Ashe approached the redhead and settled beside her.

"I didn't really expect that you'd come here." She heard Katarina say, and she can't help but be slightly amused that she was still avoiding her gaze.

"Well, I'm here now, so," She replied. "Why did you want me to come here?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Why did you want me to come here?"

Katarina found herself out of words when Ashe asked her that. She didn't really want to admit that she just missed her and wanted her to be with her right now. She crossed her arms and looked away.

"You didn't have to actually come here, you know."

"Do you want me to leave?" Ashe asked her. "I don't want to be a burden to you or anything like that."

 _'No, idiot! Of course I don't want you to leave!'_

"Don't bother," She grunted. "It's already late."

"I brought my car with m...-!"

"I said, don't bother."

Ashe stopped speaking, silently looking at her and patiently waiting for another word from her.

"Knock, knock~!" Cassiopeia's sing-song voice came from outside. Before she could even yell for her sister to leave them alone, the door was swung open by her _'beloved'_ sibling.

Cassiopeia leaned on the doorway, a smirk on her face.

"What. The fuck. Do you. Want?" She asked through clenched teeth, glaring at her sibling menacingly. If looks could kill, Cassiopeia would probably be dead by now.

"I heard from Tal that we have a visitor, and Father told me Ashe might be staying for the night, so I thought, maybe I can offer her one of the guest rooms." Cassiopeia said, the mischievous smirk on her face widening.

She stood up and practically stomped towards her the green haired female. She grabbed the door and tried closing it.

"Thanks for the offer, but her answer is no."

Cassiopeia prevented her from closing the door, the smirk on her face threatening to widen more. "Aww, but why? Wouldn't you be cramped there on your bed?"

"Trust me, we're fine."

"I just want to make sure my sister is comfortable."

"Since when did you even care about my comfort?"

"Since now."

"I assure you, _dear sister_. Ashe is fine here at my room."

"Oh?"

Katarina saw Talon about to pass by behind Cassiopeia, immediately seeing this as an opportunity. She shoved Cassiopeia back, and by reflex, Talon caught Cassiopeia without much difficulty.

"Fuck. Off." She told her sister with a glare before slamming her bedroom door close, locking it in a split second.

Turning around, she walked back to her bed, while she rubbed her temples with her fingers to soothe the headache that had formed in her head. She plopped down beside Ashe, who has been staring at her with silent curiosity.

"Umm, Katarina?"

"What?" She muttered, knowing that she might snap if she were to answer in a moderate volume.

"Are you... alright?"

She is, after all, still trying to soothe her headache.

"It's nothing," She stopped, straightened her posture and rolled her shoulders, causing a few small clicks from her bones. "Just... stressed."

"Stressed?"

"Hmm."

...

"Turn around." Ashe abruptly said.

"What?" She gave her a look. "Why do I need to turn around?"

"Just turn around."

She sighed and grumbled under her breath as she shifted on her bed, stopping only when her back is completely facing Ashe.

"Now what?"

...

...

...

Katarina almost jumped when she felt Ashe's soft fingers touch her shoulders. She was about to question Ashe when said female suddenly pressed her thumbs against her back and rolled her shoulders for her, causing her to emit a small gasp.

She felt Ashe continue on doing this for a few more times before she started kneading different areas around her back, coaxing a few moans of satisfaction from her.

 _'Oh, god...'_

The way Ashe pressed and rubbed her fingers against her back loosened the knots in the most soothing way possible. Honestly, she could get used to those meticulous fingers touching her like this.

When was she ever massaged like this? Never. She had never actually experienced the feeling of being massaged, well, until now, that is.

"Better?" She heard Ashe ask from behind her.

"Mmm..." She hummed unawarely. "Much."

She wanted to groan when Ashe detached her fingers from her back, but she managed to hold herself from doing so.

"We should probably go to sleep." She muttered as she got up from the bed and started pulling the duvet down.

Ashe stood up and helped her arrange the bed before speaking.

"Katarina?"

"Hmm?"

"Shouldn't I just accept your sister's offer?"

She gave Ashe a deadpan expression. "About sleeping at a guest room?"

Ashe nodded.

"What, you don't want to sleep with me?" She questioned, placing a hand on her hip and shifting her weight on one leg.

"No, no! It's not like that!"

"Then, what's the problem?"

Ashe blushed and looked away. "It's just that..."

"Just that what?"

"I... I have sleeping habits that may, umm, make you a little... uncomfortable." Ashe shyly said, her blush intensifying a bit.

"And what, pray and tell, may your sleeping habits be?"

"Umm, I... sort of have a tendency to hold the first thing that I get my hands on while I'm asleep."

"I can just give you a spare pillow. What else?"

"I don't know if I, uh," Ashe's face became redder. "If I snore."

"I'm sure I can sleep through your stupid snores. What else?"

This time, Ashe's face is almost as red as Katarina's hair.

"I practically sleep naked."

Katarina stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared.

...

...

...

Katarina shook her head to snap herself out of her reverie. "What do you mean ' _practically sleep naked'_?"

"I don't wear a shirt whenever I sleep."

Her emerald green eyes flickered to Ashe's shirt for a moment before refocusing to her face.

"Not even a bra?"

"Umm, no."

"Do you even own a bra?" She muttered, not really meaning to ask Ashe that.

"I do, actually. Tryndamere bought me one this morning."

Her eyes narrowed. "Tryndamere bought you a bra?"

"Mm-hm. He even taught me how to use it."

 _'I'm gonna castrate that bastard.'_

"Then, why not use that?" She said through gritted teeth.

"I'm not really used to having my chest constricted whenever I sleep."

"Fine." She turned away, muttering. "It's not like I'm a guy anyway."

"Oh, umm..."

She deeply sighed. She kind of expected that there would be more. "What is it now?"

"Sometimes, I, umm... take off my underwear during my sleep."

Her right eye threatened to twitch. "How, in Valoran's sake, are you able to take off your underwear while asleep?"

Ashe shyly shrugged. "I don't really know. I sometimes wake up completely naked, so..."

As Ashe let her words trail off, Katarina spun around and rubbed her face. Despite just receiving a nice massage, she could feel all the stress coming back to her system.

"Whatever!" She threw her hands up in the air before getting on the bed, turning off the lamp and slipping under the covers without glancing at Ashe. "Just go sleep beside me, naked or not. Good night."

Silence.

All she could hear was the annoying sound of the crickets outside her window. Katarina may have turned off the lamp and just let the moonlight shed some light in the room, but obviously, she could still hear anything or anyone. Behind her, the sound of rustling of clothes came, and she slightly blushed when she realized that Ashe was already undressing herself.

 _'Calm down, Katarina. Calm down. Just go to sleep, and all will be fine. Besides, this is Ashe. It's not like your own girlfriend will murder you in your own sleep or something.'_

She felt the bed shift and dip behind her as Ashe joined her under the blanket. She glared at the window, trying to focus all her senses to it.

"Good night, Kat."

 _ **Ba-bump!**_

Her breath slightly hitched, but thankfully for her, she still managed to choke out a reply.

"N-Night."

She checked the digital clock on the bedside table, which currently read '9:05'.

 _'Fuck, I'm not even feeling sleepy.'_

She closed her eyes, hoping her brain would just command her body to sleep.

...

...

...

Nothing.

Opening her eyes, she scowled. Normally, she'd probably be tossing and turning on her bed by now, but with Ashe being beside her, that's something to do in another time.

 _'One blade, two blades, three blades, four blades... Fuck.'_

She resisted the need to ruffle her hair. She imagined various things just to tire her mind out and maybe her body will just fall asleep, but then, she felt Ashe shift from her own side of the bed, which caused her to become rigid under the sheets.

When the movement stopped, she slowly relaxed and turned to look at the digital clock again.

 **10:09**

 _'It's been a whole hour!? And I'm not even tired!?'_

"Ugh..." She groaned lowly.

She's an insomniac, and she doesn't deny that. Usually, she goes to sleep in late hours, so her sleeping schedule totally contradicts with Ashe's own.

Katarina didn't really think Ashe would respond to her text, so right now, she was clearly out of her element. She didn't expect anything like this would happen.

Although, somewhere, or to be specific, someone, inside of her is liking the situation. Her vixen-like side is quite happy and excited that Ashe is with her right now. Her vixen self shamelessly asked her to turn around and just ravish Ashe senseless, but her rational side seem to be keeping that thought at bay.

Without really thinking, she turned around from her previous position. She abruptly sucked in a breath when she caught the sight of Ashe's back. Instead of it being littered with the whip marks she had last seen, it now looked smooth and flawless.

Again, she didn't even think for a second as she reached forward and brushed her fingertips against the pale skin, which was cold to her warm touch. A rush of worry flooded her, concerned that Ashe might be cold. But then, she remembered what Ashe had always told her, banishing her worry in a heartbeat.

"Poor circulation..." She obliviously whispered.

She continued drawing random patterns on Ashe's back, not really thinking that Ashe might wake up or anything of that sort. She just couldn't stop herself from caressing the smooth skin, and the faint scent of peppermint was on the verge of driving her mad.

...

...

...

Out of the blue, Ashe spun around and draped an arm over her waist, and as soon as it was over her, she was pulled into the other female's arms.

 _'What the fuck!?'_

Her face was this close in overheating as blood rushed to it, the heat contradicting the cold skin of the Avarosa.

Currently, she now has her face pressed against the top of Ashe's chest, and the fact that Ashe has secured an arm around her isn't giving her much chances in pulling away.

"A-Ashe...?" She stuttered as she whispered against the other's skin.

Based from Ashe's calm breathing, it clearly told her that she's still asleep. She tried pulling away and was slowly succeeding when she was beginning to put a small gap between them.

But, her unconscious lover would, apparently, have none of it. Ashe's eyebrows furrowed, assuming a displeased expression before releasing a warning snarl.

Katarina completely froze as soon as the low sound entered her ears. She had never seen Ashe scowl. She had never seen Ashe hurt someone, physically and verbally. Lastly, she had never heard Ashe growl or snarl at anything or anyone.

Hearing that warning snarl just now made her shiver and bite her bottom lip unconsciously. Oh, how she presently craved to hear that throaty sound from Ashe again.

Instead of stopping her attempts in leaving, she continued pulling herself away, hoping to hear the snarl she had just heard not a moment ago.

And just like that...

Katarina, once again, froze.

Not because Ashe snarled.

No. It's far from that.

It's the fact that Ashe's eyes is now open and was now staring at her.

Intently.

Without her knowledge, she had held her breath as she gazed into Ashe's half-lidded eyes. There was something completely different with Ashe's usually sincere and soft-looking ceruleans. Right now, it's as if Ashe was piercing through her own soul with that intense stare. Not even a single hint of sincerity or a touch of softness could be seen in its blue hues.

"Ashe...?" She breathed out.

She felt herself get pulled back into Ashe's arms and she had to resist the gasp that threatened to escape her lips. Ashe is never this bold. This is certainly considered a first.

As soon as she was back to square one, which is against Ashe's body, Ashe's eyes closed. She suppressed another shiver as Ashe nuzzled her head below her jaw, which made her tense up.

It took a long moment for her to slowly relax her tensed body. Slightly looking down, she brought up a hand and brushed the mixture of red and white hair that fell upon Ashe's face.

"Ashe?"

Despite her calling her girlfriend's name in a whisper, Ashe didn't move an inch. The calm breathing indicting that the Avarosa had already fallen back to her slumber.

Carefully, she wrapped her arms around Ashe, knowing that trying to escape the other female's embrace is impossible.

When she was finally comfortable, she couldn't help but replay the sound of Ashe's snarl and the memory of her soul-piercing gaze over and over again in her head like a broken record.

She is going to ask Ashe about this tomorrow morning. Not because she's angry about it or anything like that. It's actually the complete opposite.

Katarina Du Couteau is completely and sexually aroused.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Oh, the sexual tension is threatening to burst between them! :3_

 **Fun (and teasing) fact** : _Next chapter has a bit of a steamy scene. ;) I don't really know if it's considered a fluff or a lime. (Or is that the same? XD)_

 **Another fun fact (this time, about meh, ze author)** : _I have a goal, a goal to find a Katarina cosplayer (that's not blood-related to me) willing to do a Yuri photoshoot with me once I cosplay Ashe. *sighs* If only it's that easy._


	21. Chapter 21

**ACT 21**

Katarina grumbled while her eyebrows furrowed in irritation, not wanting to wake up from her sleep. She felt something shift in her arms, something cold yet soft. Normally, she would have told her curiosity to just leave and fuck off, but it won over her this time.

She cracked her eyes open and found nothing but the color white. Well, that's what she found at first before she fully opened them, only to discover that she's currently spooned against someone. Or to be more specific, she's actually spooned against Ashe from behind.

As soon as she realized who it is she has in her arms, the memories from last night flashed and flooded back inside her mind. She pondered about the idea of pulling away, but it was dismissed without hesitance within a few seconds.

Instead of putting a fair distance away from Ashe, she gently moved her arms until it was encircled around Ashe's stomach. With a light tug, she pulled Ashe against her and slightly lifted herself up, placing herself on top of Ashe halfway.

Her legs remained tangled with Ashe's pale ones, while she had half of her torso on Ashe's left shoulder. While finding the position she considered comfortable, she didn't notice the discarded boxers at the foot of the bed.

As soon as she made herself comfortable, she buried her face in Ashe's neck, softly inhaling the ever refreshing scent of peppermint she always possessed.

 _'If I have to wake up, I want my mornings to always be like this.'_ She thought as she closed her eyes.

Her vixen side came again and practically ordered her to touch Ashe 'til her heart's content, but her rational side seem to be succeeding in winning. But, that didn't mean her vixen-self was fully suppressed. If she were the one to call the shots in these moments, she probably would have agreed with her _'playful'_ side whole heartedly.

So, of course she succumbed to it. Even if it's just a little bit of succumbing.

To test the waters, Katarina placed a soft and quick kiss on Ashe's neck. After doing so, she leaned her face away a bit and audited Ashe. Her girlfriend remained unconscious, still wandering around Dreamland.

She repeated what she had just done, but this time, she place two kisses. Again, she pulled back and waited for a reaction, or an objection, from her lover.

Nothing.

All she heard was the calm and steady breathing of the female against her. She could feel her vixen-self nod proudly and usher her to continue, and maybe, go further.

Oh, how tempted she is to do just that.

So, she did.

She brushed Ashe's hair aside, now fully revealing Ashe's neck to her. Leaning down, she resumed kissing the flawless, and not to mention, tempting, neck of her girlfriend. At first, it started in a slow pace, taking one second every time she planted a kiss against the smooth skin.

Every kiss she gave made her bolder and no sooner did her pace increased. She was so sure that she had probably kissed every inch she could currently reach in Ashe's neck.

But like what is mentioned earlier, she grew bolder every single time her lips touched Ashe's neck. Closing her eyes, she lowered her lips onto Ashe's neck for the umpteenth time and parted it. She began sucking on the skin, shyly at first. But, as unsteady heartbeats passed, her sucking became more pronounced.

She sucked on the skin for a few seconds and pulled away to lick the spot she was sucking on before attaching her lips onto it again. This process repeated for more than five times, before Katarina became too absorbed in the act.

Too absorbed that she didn't notice her legs suddenly wrapping around Ashe's own. She, without her conscious knowledge, moved her body until she could feel Ashe's hip between her thighs.

Obliviously, she started thrusting her hips, grinding her clothing-covered core against her girlfriend's hip, which is actually bare. But, Katarina didn't know that.

Her breathing became a tad bit ragged, but she took no notice of it. She was too engrossed in sucking on her sleeping lover's neck. Her right hand, which was wound around Ashe's waist earlier, now clutched the sheets to give her some sort of leverage of control, while her left hand had disappeared under the blankets and was now caressing Ashe's flat stomach.

"Ashe..." She breathlessly whispered against the other female's neck before she resumed sucking on it.

In midst of her lust-clouded mind and rather lewd gestures, she didn't notice the fact that Ashe was beginning to wake up from her slumber.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe had been woken up by many things and in different ways. She was woken up by an alarm of a car, was woken up by Anivia's screeching, was woken up by Sierra either suddenly pulling or pushing her off the bed, and was woken up by her usual buzzing alarm.

But, never had she been pulled out of her slumber because of someone sucking on her neck.

Ashe snapped her eyes open, the feeling of her body registering in her brain. The first thing that she felt was the warm and wet feeling on her neck, which sent various sensations that made her track of mind fluctuate for a few moments.

"W-Wha...?" She breathlessly gasped.

As she became more and more conscious with her surroundings and most especially her body, it made her realize where she is, why she's there and who it is with her.

"Ka... K-Kata...-!" She couldn't even finish her lover's name as the said female sucked on her neck.

She could feel something on her hip. Right now, her left hip felt awfully warm, and with Katarina's _'assault'_ on her neck and lazy thrusting of her hips, a wild blush appeared on her cheeks when she discovered exactly what it is that made her hip so warmer than the rest of her body.

Ashe managed to stop herself from letting out a loud and breathless gasp as soon as she felt Katarina suck on a sensitive spot on her neck. Using her right hand, she covered her mouth to prevent herself from releasing any lascivious sounds.

 _'Ohh... What is this feeling...?'_

She began squirming in Katarina's grasp, the heat that had formed between her legs becoming a bit of a nuisance to her.

"Ashe..."

She stretched her neck slightly to attempt in looking over to Katarina, and there, she found the redhead lightly panting as she practically ravished her neck with her lips and tongue.

Ashe wanted to say something, but her words got caught in her throat when Katarina suddenly bit her neck.

"Ah!"

It wasn't painful. Not at all. In fact, it was _absolutely_ pleasurable, so pleasurable that it invoked a loud and clear moan from Ashe herself, which only fueled the lust Katarina has for her.

The thrusting of Katarina's hips became more pronounced, and her hands no longer roamed Ashe's body or clutch the sheets. Ashe could feel Katarina wrap her right arm around her waist from below her and pull her tight against her, while the redhead started moving her own hips in a much faster speed.

The cloth of Katarina's shorts between her legs became damper, based from her feeling of it. Ashe so badly wanted to let her own hands explore and sate her mind's rather... _indecent_ curiosity, but she controlled it and managed to just settle in trying her best not to moan out.

While she used her right hand to try and muffle the groans and whimpers of pleasure she gave out, her left hand went downward and clutched Katarina's right forearm, which is hooked around her waist securely. Initially, she merely wrapped her hand around Katarina's forearm, but soon, she had begun digging her nails into its skin as the sexual pleasure she felt increased each needy thrust Katarina made.

"Kaaaat...!" She dragged out Katarina's unfinished name for a second or two before she clenched her eyes shut and lightly bit her hand to stifle her own voice.

The thrusting quickened, just like hers and Katarina's breathing. The burning need between her legs was becoming unbearable. She had never experienced a sensation as breathtaking as this, so she can honestly say that she's completely new to the feeling of being entirely aroused in a sexual way.

"Ashe...!"

Katarina's hips stilled, her grip around her waist became tighter, her body trembled and lastly, she bit Ashe's neck again. Ashe's nails dug deeper into Katarina's forearm as soon as she felt her lover bite her for the second time, while a constricted yelp left her lips.

She didn't know how long she and Katarina stayed as frozen as a stone statue, but eventually, Katarina started loosening her grip around her body. And as soon as it started loosening, Katarina's body became slackened on the bed, looking totally exhausted from what she had just done.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina lazily slung her left forearm over her eyes, while she just left her right arm beneath Ashe's form. Her mind was still a sexual blur from what she had did, so she was still taking some time to recuperate.

All her life, she had never experienced a pleasurable release that fully satisfied her, until now. The way Ashe's body against her seemed oh so right for her. Oh, how she presently craved for the moment where she and Ashe are in each other's arms, both not having any barriers of clothing getting in the way.

Finally, she got her ragged breathing back to its normal and steady pace and her mind on the right track.

...

...

...

...

...

 _'Oh my fucking...! What the fuck!? I just...! I just...!'_

Katarina abruptly became rigid as soon as she felt Ashe shift from her right. Based from the way she had shifted, she assumed that Ashe had took up a sitting position. In all honesty, she didn't want to take her forearm off of her eyes and check if her assumption is right, knowing she'll see the person she had shamelessly humped without permission.

 _'I sexually harassed her!'_

Oh, Katarina could feel it now. She may have been satisfied in more ways than one, but she knows she has something coming for her.

The consequences.

 _'Shit! She's never going to trust me again! Hell! She might even break up with me! Scratch that, she WILL break up with me!'_

"Katarina...?"

Half of her was wishing that what had just happened was a dream and she was still in this said dream. But, when a smooth hand suddenly touched her right shoulder, she knew nothing that had recently conspired was a fantasy.

"Katarina...?"

 _'Sleep, Katarina. Pretend you're asleep, or maybe you passed out. Yeah, sounds like a plan, stupid.'_

"I know you're not asleep."

 _'My soon to be ex-girlfriend can read minds. Probably should have expected that.'_

Slowly, oh so slowly, Katarina pulled her left forearm away from her eyes and let it slide to the side until it made contact with the sheets. The first thing to greet her was Ashe's rather troubled look.

 _'She looks like she has a problem. Shit. She's thinking of a way on how to break up with me. She wants to end this...-!'_

"Can I use the bathroom?"

Katarina stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And tried her best not to look down at Ashe's stark naked torso.

And stared.

And stared.

Katarina was out of words. It's like her vocabulary was suddenly wiped out and erased from the face of the earth. Since she couldn't express anything through words and syllables, she settled on lifting a hand and pointing a finger at the door of the bathroom.

Ashe, who has been avoiding her eyes the whole time, nodded timidly before shuffling out of the sheets and off the bed. Katarina turned away from Ashe as soon as she saw her girlfriend pick up a pair of boxers that had fallen to the floor.

 _'I should at least give her some privacy.'_

...

 _'Yeah, sure, give the person you just sexually harassed some privacy. That'll save the day.'_

Katarina slapped both of her hands on her face, looking like a kid not wanting to see her parents kissing. As soon as she heard the two soft clicks of the bathroom door being closed and locked, Katarina flopped her arms and legs back onto the bed, occupying most of the space on the mattress.

She stared at the ceiling, trying to come up with ways that can salvage their _'going to be destroyed'_ or _'already destroyed'_ relationship.

An image of Ashe in the bathroom, silently crying and trying to wash off the shame she had done to her popped inside her head, and she almost screamed in horror at that.

She got up and jumped off the bed, fast-walking towards the closed door of the bathroom. She halted as soon as she was in front of the door. Staring at the wooden material called door, she found herself speechless. What could she even say that can make everything between her and Ashe less awkward?

Nothing, is the only word that came into mind.

 _'You just dry humped her! Do you really think everything's just going to go back to normal!?'_

"Umm, Katarina?" Came Ashe's voice from the inside.

" **Yes!?** " She practically shouted. She shook her head frantically before clearing her throat and asking back in a more reasonable volume. "Y-Yes?"

"Can I use one of the towels here?"

"Use anything you like." She replied, trying to keep her anxiety out of her words.

"Okay."

Once again, the atmosphere became uneasy, especially for Katarina. She truly doesn't know what Ashe's vibe about this, and she was admittedly scared and fucking nervous to find out.

The only thing she could hear right now is the sound of the shower, and it didn't do any justice with her tensed nerves. The more time passed, the more she grew anxious with the impending future.

And just like that, no noise can be heard. For Katarina, the muffled chirping of birds outside doesn't exist. All she could hear was the deafening and frenzied beating of her heart, each beat ringing in her ears as seconds passed.

...

...

...

 _ **Click!**_

Katarina instantly stepped back as soon as the door was pulled open by the occupant of the bathroom. Ashe stepped into view, already dressed in the clothes she wore the night before. Of course the fact that Ashe eluded her gaze from her own didn't escape her attention.

The time she was given to think of something to say was too short, and she still could not conjure up any words that could help her now. Once again, it was Ashe who spoke first.

"I'm going to go home to change my clothes," Ashe glanced at the bedside clock Katarina has at the side. "I'll be back in an hour to pick you up for school."

"Uh... Right."

 _'Right? That's it? That's the best answer you could think of!?'_

Ashe mumbled an _'excuse me'_ as she made her way to the door to leave. As soon as Ashe walked past her, she instantly snapped back into her senses. She spun around and immediately called.

"Ashe!"

Much to her surprise and expectation, Ashe turned around and faced her. This time though, she was the one who can't meet the Avarosa's gaze. But, what she did do is that she took notice of the mildly dark mark visible at the left side of Ashe's neck.

Her eyes literally focused onto the mark she had left, and it didn't take long before Ashe realized where her attention was directed to. Conscious of her appearance, Ashe lowered her head a bit and used her hair to hide the hickey the redhead had given her.

Katarina's cheeks turned red, knowing she was caught red-handed.

 _'Why is she looking at me?'_

 _'Um, duh. You called her name, remember?'_

She resisted the urge to slap herself.

 _'Right, I forgot. Stupid.'_

The moment she opened her mouth to explain the actions she had done earlier, the words that exited her mouth was...

"See you later."

Ashe stared at her for a moment.

Katarina wanted to throw herself through the window, not really wanting to believe that she is sounding like the most idiotic, and not to mention, awkward, person in Runeterra.

After what seemed like hours, Ashe nodded her head.

"In an hour, Katarina."

"Uhh, yeah, yeah. In an hour."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Cassiopeia had an evil grin on her face as she walked down the hall in a fast pace. While walking, she held a blow horn with one hand, which is the heart of the prank she plans using to wake up her sister and their little visitor.

She stopped directly in front of Katarina's room. With the mischievous grin still on her face, she reached for the door knob. Her hand was just a few inches away from the knob when it began lightly rattling.

Cassiopeia took a step back and raised the blow horn to her head level, the item pointed at the door.

 _'Looks like I'll have to settle in using it here. Hmph. She never wakes up this early. Well, not since the past few weeks.'_

She refocused on her task, her finger itching to just blow the horn right then and there. The door was pulled in a moderate speed, and she was about to blow the horn when...-!

"Cassiopeia?"

"Oh!" Cassiopeia snatched her hand away from the air and hid the blow horn behind her back. She laughed, albeit awkwardly, while she smiled sheepishly. "Good morning, Ashe."

"Good morning to you as well."

"Leaving already?" She asked, striking up a casual conversation to avoid conversing about the _'almost blow horn'_ incident.

"Yes, but I'll be back in an hour to pick up Katarina."

"Oh, I see, that's nice." Cassiopeia was just about to look over Ashe's shoulder... when she suddenly noticed the dark mark at Ashe's usually pale and blemish-less neck. "So... You don't want to join us for breakfast?"

Despite her being much more discreet than how Katarina had practically gawked at Ashe earlier, the white haired female still noticed what she was looking at and blushed a light shade of red, but uttered nothing about it.

She had to resist the smirk that threatened to occupy her lips. Cassiopeia's quite sure that Katarina will be getting an earful of teasing from hers truly.

"Umm, thank you for the invitation, but I must go." Ashe politely declined before making a motion of leaving.

Cassiopeia gave her way and gestured down the hall. "Go ahead. See you later."

Ashe gave her a small smile before she began walking off, but not without waving and murmuring a goodbye to her.

She returned the farewell with a wave of her own and waited until Ashe was out of sight. Once she was sure that their visitor was gone, she stepped into her sister's room and closed the door behind her.

 _ **Thump! Thump! Thump!**_

Directing her head to the direction where the thumping noises were coming from, she found Katarina hitting her head on the dry wall over and over again. It wasn't hard enough to destroy the wood, but it was enough to make a few thumps to sound.

"Has my dear sister finally lost her marbles?" She teased, placing the blow horn at the nearest flat surface, her prank long forgotten.

Katarina continued hitting her head onto the wall, stopping after a few hits to reply. "I blew it, Cass."

"Blew what? Ashe's horn?"

Katarina spun around around and glared at her menacingly, a clenched fist raised as a form of threatening. "No! It's not that!"

She quirked an eyebrow.

"You of all people already know that Ashe doesn't have a penis!"

"Are we here to discuss your girlfriend's sexy body?"

"No!" Katarina snarled. "I blew _it_ , Cass! I blew our **relationship**!"

Cassiopeia opened her mouth to say something, but Katarina suddenly shoved a _'threatening'_ finger at her direction.

"And don't think I haven't been noticing that you've been checking my girlfriend out!"

 _'She is literally giving me 'teasing ammo' to use against her.'_ Cassiopeia thought with an internal deadpan expression.

"Well, you just said that you blew your relationship with her, so," She feigned a flirtatious look. "Can I have the leftovers?"

Katarina growled and grabbed the nearest object she could find, flinging it at her. Cassiopeia was lucky, since it was only a couch pillow, which she caught and tossed back to the sofa.

"I'm kidding, Kata." She laughed before settling herself at Katarina's favorite chair in her room, the black La-Z-Boy recliner, and same time, massage, chair. As soon as she was comfy on the leather furniture, she turned her attention back to her sister. "I'm listening."

It took at least a full minute before Katarina calmed down and was now sitting on the foot of her bed.

"I blew it, Cass." She repeated, now sounding depressed as she buried her face in her hands.

"Yeah, I think we got over that. The question is, what did you do?"

"I... became selfish."

"Selfish?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I... I... Uggghhh!" Katarina groaned in irritation as she started ruffling her red hair with her hands.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. I get you." Cassiopeia sarcastically said, earning another glare. She raised her hands in surrender. "What do you want me to say, then? It's not like I can read minds, Kata."

Katarina rubbed her fave exasperatedly before she managed to compose herself, enough to at least tell her sister the 'story'.

"I let my lust take over."

Cassiopeia raised her eyebrows at her sister. "What, you raped her?"

" **NO!** " Katarina shouted. "Why the fuck would you even think of that!?"

"What?" She held her hands to her sides innocently. "It's your fault. The way you worded it, it's as if you raped her or something."

"I didn't rape her, alright? I..."

Cassiopeia sighed, getting a bit bored with Katarina's hesitance in answering. "You what, Kata?"

"I _humped_ her."

...

...

...

...

...

"Well, thank you very much for sugar-coating it, dear sister." She half-sarcastically replied. "So what? She's officially your girlfriend now, right? Was she alright with it?"

"Yes, she's officially my girlfriend, but... I'm not sure about the last one."

Cassiopeia had teased Katarina for countless times, but she has never seen Katarina looks so embarrassed and scared at the same time. Also, she had never seen Katarina become so flustered about something. She guessed that Love is actually her sister's _'weakness'_.

"She's... not alright with it?"

"That's what I don't know!"

"How can you not know? Doesn't sex usually start with the participation of two people?"

"We didn't have sex!"

"My point being," She continued. "If you had humped Ashe, I'm sure she's quite alright with it. Not only that she's your girlfriend, but I'm sure she also gave you permission to do that in the first place."

"..."

"Kata?"

"..."

"Katarina,"

"..."

Cassiopeia leaned forward and looked at her sister. "You **DID** ask permission, right?"

Katarina stared silently into space for a moment before flopping down on her bed. "No! I didn't!"

Cassiopeia watched for a moment as her sister started had a mini panic attack. After a minute or two filled with Katarina internally panicking, she decided to resume the conversation.

"If you didn't get permission from her... Then, how did you manage to hump her?"

Katarina sat up again. "She... She was still asleep when I woke up. At first I just wanted to hug her and maybe cuddle a bit, but then, her neck looked so tempting! I was kissing her neck for a few times, but then, it evolved into sucking. While I was sucking on her neck, I didn't notice that I was starting to hump her. She woke up in the middle of it, but not much really registered in my brain. My lust had taken over me and I only realized what I had done when, well...! When... I finished..."

Katarina looked down, shame in her green eyes. Cassiopeia, who had remained frozen during the whole explanation, slowly _'unfroze'_ herself.

"I could have still understood the situation without the raunchy details, but, whatever floats your boat, sister." She shook her head to get the images her mind had created out of her head. "Did she try to push you off? Put up any struggle of some sort?"

"Not that I can remember." Katarina murmured before she suddenly remembered the nail marks Ashe had left on her right forearm. "Um, well, she dug her nails in one of my forearms. But, that's the only thing she had done that I noticed."

"That's it? What happened to her other hand?"

"I don't know. I told you, I was too... distracted."

"What happened after you humped her?"

"She asked if she could use the bathroom, and when I let her, she took a shower, dressed up in the bathroom, told me she was going to be back in an hour and that's it."

...

...

...

"Wow... You really are selfish. You didn't even return the favor to her."

" **THAT'S NOT THE FUCKING POINT!** "

"I know, I know," Cassiopeia waved a dismissive hand lazily. "So, that's that? You two didn't even talk about what had happened?"

"I was too... nervous to talk to her about it. She didn't bring it up..."

"You know, you're acting like a wuss right now. I thought you were the _'I don't give a single fuck about anything'_ type of person."

"I can't help it, alright!? This is my first relationship! And, in my whole life, I've **never** humped anyone!"

"Well, you've humped Ashe now. So, point one for you."

"You're not helping, Cass!"

"Listen, Katarina. Based from your story, I think Ashe is confused."

"Confused?"

"Yep. After all, you're also her first lover, so this is all new to her. And, the fact that her first day at VU was the first time she set foot on a school is enough proof of that."

"Do you think she's angry?"

"No, I just think she's just confused. You should probably talk to her about this."

"Ugh... I feel so... so... ashamed. I feel like I violated her."

"'Course you didn't. Like I said, she's just confused. She probably took that shower to clear her mind and think of some answers, you know."

"You think so?" Katarina now looked a bit hopeful.

"Yeah."

...

...

...

"Either that, or she feels really really **REALLY** violated."

"Cass!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe exited her car after turning off the engine, swiftly walking up the steps of the front door of the Du Couteau mansion. Her morning had been... eventful, to say the least. She had never thought that she'd find herself being awoken from her sleep because her girlfriend was grinding against her.

Just the thought of it made her face a tad bit warm. She wanted so badly to ask questions about that and about the sensations she had felt in that very moment, but she found herself too... shy to converse with Katarina about it.

And, based from Katarina's reactions after the 'incident', the redhead seem to be on the same boat as her with the shy thing. But she can confidently say that she's not angry at her girlfriend.

She's just... confused. And curious.

Yep, mostly curious.

Not with their relationship, but with the possible outcomes that can come from it and the intimate acts they would... participate in.

Ashe was never really given _'The Talk'_ by her parents. All of her knowledge concerning sexual intercourse came from the lessons in Science that Braum had thought her when she was in the elementary level.

She didn't really have any friends to _'pollute'_ and _'corrupt'_ her mind with any pornographic intelligence, due to the fact that she was home-schooled.

Now, she can see why her father had been a little nervous for her when Sierra had permitted her to finish her last year of college in a school. She silently assumed for a moment that even Lux, who acts all innocent and what not, is more knowledgeable with matters involving sex.

Ashe shook her head lightly to clear her head. She made sure she looked appropriate, arranging her school blazer and dusting her pants, before she pushed the doorbell of the mansion.

...

...

...

" ** _She's here! What do I do?_** " An awfully familiar voice came from the other side of the door. It was a bit muffled, but Ashe understood the words, loud and clear.

" ** _Just act natural, Katarina. I'm sure you can handle this just fine._** " Another not so foreign voice originated from inside.

" ** _What if...! What if she wants to break up with me?_** "

" ** _Listen to yourself. You sound, and not to mention, look, pathetic. You're a Du Couteau, Kata. A Du Couteau is never pathetic. Now go on! Don't keep her waiting._** "

" ** _But, Cass...-!_** "

 ** _Click!_**

Ashe instantly straightened her posture as one of the double doors opened, revealing a... rigid Katarina and an amused-face Cassiopeia.

"Oh, hello, Ashe," Cassiopeia greeted. "Here's Katarina."

Cassiopeia pushed, no, shoved her sister forward with one of her hands, and Ashe quickly moved forward to catch Katarina, who was caught off-balance.

"Are you alright?" She automatically asked Katarina, who was as still as an unmoving rock in her arms.

"She's fine." Cassiopeia reassured her. "She's just scared that you're angry at her and you'll break up with her, leave her, replace her and all that."

Katarina, who was frozen just a moment ago, whipped her head and looked over her shoulder, sending thousands of daggers at Cassiopeia.

"Cass!" Katarina snarled.

"Oh..."

"Talon and I will see you both at school. Have a safe trip!" The other Du Couteau bid with an _'innocent'_ smile before closing the door.

Ashe directed her attention to the female in her arms, who now has her head lowered, but it wasn't lowered enough, since she could still see Katarina's blushing face.

"Umm... Katarina?"

Katarina slowly, almost hesitantly, held her shoulders and lightly pushed against it to get herself back on her feet.

"Ahem," Katarina arranged the strap of her backpack and smoothed out the wrinkles of her own blazer. "Um, let's go."

Silently, Ashe nodded. They both made their way towards the white sports car, and when they arrived at the front passenger seat, Ashe opened the door for her girlfriend, who mumbled a low thanks.

No sooner was Ashe back at the driver's seat and the car was driving down the main road, heading to the direction of where their school is.

The whole car ride was _'conversation-less'_ , much to Ashe's disappointment. She was somewhat hoping Katarina would open up a topic, but it looks like her girlfriend was avoiding her glances and just focused all her attention outside the window.

They were more than halfway to school when Ashe decided to start the conversation by herself.

"Vi texted me. She told me since I'm part of the basketball team, I'm excused from my morning classes and last class within the week."

"Huh? Oh," Successfully, Ashe had snapped Katarina out of her distracted trance. "I almost forgot about that. There's a game next week, right?"

"Mm-hm." Ashe can't help but smile as Katarina began relaxing a bit, but of course, the tension was still there.

"Will you... walk me to class?"

She spared a glance to Katarina and found her girlfriend trying to hide behind her red hair.

"Do you want me to?"

"Never mind."

"No, it's fine. Do you want me to?"

"You don't have to." Katarina murmured. "Forget what I said."

Ashe slightly frowned when Katarina became silent again. The rest of the drive was consumed with silence yet again, but fortunately, it didn't take long before she was sliding her car in a parking space.

She had just turned the engine off and pulled the emergency brakes up when Katarina had already unlocked the car door at her side.

 ** _Click!_**

The car doors all locked again as soon as Ashe pushed one of the buttons beside her. It was obvious that Katarina was a bit surprised, due to the fact that her shoulders slightly jumped. Katarina made a move to turn to her.

"Hey, unlock the do...-!"

Katarina's words were interrupted as soon as Ashe leaned forward and kissed her.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina expected a few things when she turned her head to face Ashe, but being kissed was not one of them.

No, it wasn't a full blown French kiss or any of that sort. Although, Katarina would have probably be in favor with that kind of kiss. But, it was far from that. It was just a gentle chaste kiss on the lips... that sent her heart racing in a speed she didn't know it could go.

Katarina stared wide-eyed at Ashe, whose face hovered just three inches away from hers. A sweet and alluring smile on her lips.

"Don't worry," Ashe whispered fondly, a light blush on her cheeks and a soft twinkle in her eyes. "I'm not mad."

"You're... not?"

"I'm not."

 _ **Click!**_

Katarina watched as Ashe pulled away and exited the car with both of their bags, each bag having one strap slung over her right shoulder.

She was still staring at the now empty car seat, until she heard a low thump from her right. Facing the direction where the sound came, she realized that Ashe had opened the car door for her.

A pale and smooth hand was offered for her to take, and as she expected, she traced it back to Ashe. She accepted it and exited the car with her lover's assistance.

She anticipated that once she was outside of the vehicle, Ashe would let go of her hand. But, apparently, Ashe is full of surprises when it comes to her.

The car door was gently kicked close by the owner herself before said female suddenly pulled her in to an embrace.

"I'll walk you to class." Ashe murmured in her ear, which almost made her bite her lip.

Ashe broke the embrace but not their entwined hands. Her lover raised their joint hands and placed a quick kiss on her forehand.

"Y-You don't have to." She practically sputtered out, blushing as soon as Ashe's lips brushed against the skin of her hand.

"No, I don't have to,"

With a charming and heart-quickening smile, Ashe gently tugged her towards the school entrance.

"But, I want to."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _*sighs dreamily* Can you just imagine it? The chaste kiss? The way Ashe smiles at Katarina?_

 _I love this pairing so much! Kyaaa~ 😍 (insert fangirling moment here)_

 _Oh, I hope you readers aren't disappointed with the, ehem, 'fluffy' parts at the beginning. :3_


	22. Chapter 22

**ACT 22**

Ashe whirled around and ran across the basketball court with the ball in her possession, Vi, Darius and Garen hot on her trail. While the other basketball players are training to increase their stamina out at the track field, the four of them were paired up in two to practice with each other.

And, yes, Vi is an official and the _'only'_ female player in the team. Of course no one had to know that they actually have TWO female players, who are on the same level with the two dunkers of the team, Darius and Garen.

Ashe didn't want to join the basketball team, but Sierra required her to join a male's sport in school to become more _'manly'_. It's not like when Ashe plays sports she turns into a real guy.

Based from the scores, Ashe and Vi are at least five points higher than the other two players. If only the two men would just stop arguing with each other and start teaming up, then they probably would have been a difficult team to defeat.

Ashe passed the ball to Vi, who then dunked it through the orange hoop before their coach blew his whistle, signaling them that practice is over.

"Go on and hit the showers," Their coach said, nodding his had to the shower room. "Lunch is about to start in a few minutes."

"Thanks, coach!" Vi thanked with a grin.

While Ashe sat down on one of the benches at the side, Darius and Garen made their way to the shower room.

"Hey, Ashe,"

Looking up, she found Garen looking at her.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you going to shower?"

"Oh, umm...-!"

Vi suddenly came out of God knows where and sat beside Ashe, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Go on ahead, Garen! I still have some things to talk about with Ashe here."

"If you say so." Garen waved before heading to the shower room.

When the Crownguard was out of sight and the only ones left at the court were the two females, Ashe turned her head to face Vi.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" She asked curiously.

Vi grinned at her. "Cupcake told me everything, _'Athena'_."

Ashe's eyes widened when Vi called her by the alias Tryndamere had given her. She recalled the time when she and Tryndamere had met Katarina with Jayce and Caitlyn. She already had suspicions that Caitlyn would have recognized her and had hoped that she didn't, but of course, Vi's words are confirmation enough.

She probably should have predicted that Vi would know eventually. From what she had heard, Caitlyn doesn't keep any secrets from Vi and vice versa.

"She recognized me, didn't she?" She asked, suppressing a groan.

"Yep."

"What about Jayce?"

"Oh, he's as clueless as how square his jaw is." Vi replied, laughing at her own choice of words.

In any other moment, Ashe would have maybe spared a chuckle or a small laugh at Vi's little joke, but she's too consumed with the worry of everyone finding out about her real gender. At first it was just Katarina who knew outside of the family, but now, there's more than three people that knows of it.

"Please, Vi. Don't tell anyone."

Ashe gave Vi a pleading look, which instantly caught the pinkette's attention. Vi would never admit it, but Ashe actually looked cute doing that puppy-dog face.

"Hey, don't worry! You're my friend, and you probably have a good reason why you dress up like a dude, right?"

Ashe slowly nodded.

"See? And besides, Cupcake made me promise not to tell anyone that you're a girl. Also, she said she's planning to talk to you this lunch time."

"I guess I should have expected that."

"You worry too much. Cupcake's not going to eat you for lunch. If someone's going to get eaten, it's Cupcake herself, since she's my dinner for tonight." Vi said with a mischievous wink.

"Pardon?"

"Anyway!" Vi changed the topic again, knowing Caitlyn doesn't appreciate her talking to other people about their sex life. "Why don't you table with us this lunch time?"

"I guess I could," Ashe scratched the back of her head. "I have to ask Katarina first."

"Oh, right, you have your bitchy girlfriend."

"Katarina's nothing like that." She defended, frowning in disapproval. Tried frowning in disapproval is more accurate, since her frown morphed into a pout.

"Not you. But to us? And the other students? She's a bitch, you know."

She was about to defend her girlfriend against the pinkette's rather offending words, but Vi continued.

"Invite her to join us then! I'm sure she and Cupcake would get alone, since both of them are a bitch."

"Vi!" Ashe hissed scoldingly, her pout becoming more obvious.

Vi laughed. "I don't mean it in any lewd way, Frosty. It's just that, Caitlyn turns into a really scary chick when she gets angry, and well, Katarina's always scowling, so that's enough of a reason in being a bitch in my book."

"Can you please just stop with the profanities?"

"Fine, fine."

"And, seriously? _'Frosty'_?"

"What? It's a catchy nickname, isn't it? Besides, you practically look like you're made out of snow. And...!"

Vi reached forward and suddenly pinched her cheeks. By the time Vi stopped pinching her cheeks, her cheeks now had a bit of color instead of its usual pale complexion.

"You're so damn cute!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe and Vi entered the cafeteria together, and as if on cue, a few girls passed and greeted them with flirtatious looks and smiles. Vi flashed them a greeting grin, while Ashe waved at them, offering a small smile.

At their left, Caitlyn raised a tray of food she had taken exclusively for Vi herself.

"You're free to join us at our table if Katarina lets you."

Ashe nodded and waved goodbye to her pink haired friend before making her way to the table where Katarina is. While approaching the table, she saw Cassiopeia spot her and... purposely shove a napping Katarina off of her seat.

Quickly, almost reflexively, Ashe dashed forward and caught Katarina, but that didn't mean they didn't fall down the floor. Ashe served as a human cushion for Katarina, who would have probably face-planted on the floor if she hadn't rushed in to catch her.

"Are you okay?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Are you okay?"

Katarina growled in annoyance, knowing it was most possibly her sister who had pushed her off of her seat and had disturbed her little cat-nap.

"Fine." She grunted, still not realizing who it was that caught her.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Raising her head to tell her _'saviour'_ to fuck off, she ended up visibly choking on her words as soon as she found her face, once again, inches away from Ashe's own. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, while Ashe stared down at her with a calm and patient look in her eyes.

For what felt like hours, Katarina gazed into the beautiful cerulean hues Ashe has. The color was enough to keep her occupied and to be put in a trance.

"Are you two just going to stare at each other with googley-eyes, or are you two going to make-out?"

Ashe looked away and broke the spell she had unknowingly casted upon Katarina, an embarrassed blush on her face, while Katarina instantly scowled after hearing her sister's teasing question.

She made a motion in standing up, which Ashe immediately caught on. Her girlfriend stood up first before helping her up on her own two feet.

"Katarina?" Ashe softly called out.

"Yeah?"

"Umm, Vi invited me to join their table for today, and...-!"

"You want to sit with them?" She asked back, doing her best to not sound like she was bothered with Ashe not eating with her for lunch.

 _'For fuck's sake, Katarina! Don't be so clingy!'_ Her own voice in her thoughts scolded her.

"Actually, I want you to come with me as well."

"What?"

That was unexpected. For Katarina, that is.

"Listen, Ashe. Vi and I may have at least a small base of friendship or whatever you call it, but I don't really play well with others."

"They know." Ashe stated all of a sudden, keeping her voice hushed and low.

"Know what?"

"My secret."

Just like that, Katarina's brain became wild with imagination she didn't know she actually possessed.

'If Caitlyn and Vi knows, one of them might tell the other students, and if the students know, the teachers will eventually do. And, if the teachers know, the news will get to that bitch, and Ashe might get pulled out from school and put back in home school... And if she's going to be home-schooled again, then that means we won't be able to continue our relationship!'

"Katarina?"

Katarina snapped out of her panicked thoughts and refocused her attention to Ashe, who was looking at her with a gleam of worry in her cerulean eyes.

Her brain then conjured up another thought before she could fully focus herself. A thought, no, a theory, that maybe Caitlyn and Vi are blackmailing Ashe with her secret. It sent a surge of anger inside of her.

"Are they blackmailing you?"

Ashe shook her head frantically. "No, no, not at all!"

"Then, what do they want?"

"They want to talk to us about it."

"That's it?"

"From what I know, yes."

Their whisper-filled conversation was halted when someone cleared their throat from behind Katarina, which reminded them that Katarina's circle of friends are still present and didn't just disappear.

"I'll meet you there at the table," She muttered to Ashe. "I still need to get some food for lunch."

"Oh, don't bother."

"What, you don't want me to eat?"

"No, no, it's just that..." As Ashe trailed off, she lifted up a packed lunch wrapped with a black and red checkered cloth, a cloth that Katarina always sees when Ashe brings her homemade lunch five days a week. "I made you lunch."

"You were only gone for an hour this morning, yet you still managed to cook me some lunch?"

"Um, yeah..."

"Alright then," Katarina looked over to her siblings and her friends. "Hey, I'm going to table with Ashe and her friends."

"Are you actually asking permission?" Cassiopeia and Talon unintentionally chorused.

Katarina didn't bother regarding their question. She already knows Cassiopeia will be having a field day with her teasing when they get back home after school. She grabbed Ashe's free hand and began to pull her to the table where she spotted Vi is sitting at.

It didn't even take a minute when they stopped just in beside the designated table.

"Hey!" Vi greeted after swallowing a mouthful of food. "Glad you two could join us!"

Caitlyn nodded her head to them in acknowledgement before gesturing at the vacant seats across them. "Please, take a seat."

"I'm surprised that Jarhead and the others aren't with you two." She commented, obviously noticing the lack of presence of Caitlyn and Vi's circle of friends.

"They're tabling with Lux and the others." Vi said, nodding her head. "Cupcake here asked them to do that, so we can do this little talk."

"May I start the conversation, then?" Caitlyn asked, glancing between her and Ashe.

"I take that you and Vi want to know about my secret." Ashe said, looking a bit worried and scared.

"Yes, but," Caitlyn wiped her lips with her napkin before continuing. "To ease your tensed nerves, I can assure you now that your secret is safe."

"R-Really?" Ashe asked, looking hopeful.

"What's the catch?" Katarina questioned, narrowing her eyes at Caitlyn.

"All we want to know is why."

"That's it?" She asked, still shooting Caitlyn a suspicious look.

"Katarina, I consider Ashe as a friend of mine, and let me tell you that I deeply care for the well-being of my friends. I'm sure you agree with me when I say that what Ashe is doing is not, in more ways than one, healthy."

Katarina was still suspicious, and of course, the couple in front of them can see that clearly.

"I know, I know, it's hard to believe that Cupcake here is a fucking saint." Vi said with a small grin.

"I guess I should start from the beginning..." Ashe murmured as she started unwrapping the packed lunch she had made for Katarina.

"Start whenever you're ready," She said, giving Ashe a reassuring look. "No pressure."

Ashe smiled at her, thankful for her support.

"It all started with my stepmother..."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"...And that's that."

Caitlyn had already finished her lunch, Vi and Katarina were still eating theirs, while Ashe finally finished with the story of her life.

Including the part where she and Katarina had started a fake relationship.

"What happens when you graduate college?" Caitlyn inquired. "Will you be free of your stepmother's control?"

"I'm not really sure." Ashe replied with a frown.

"Why?"

"I don't know if I can actually defy Sierra. I'm... I'm still scared."

Katarina sighed from beside her, and Ashe knew her girlfriend wants her to fight back, but she also knew that Katarina knows about her reason why she isn't putting up a fight against her stepmother.

"Okay, I'm going to steer the conversation from a much less serious subject," Vi interjected.

"Vi." Caitlyn tried stopping the pinkette from changing the topic, but she failed.

"I wanna ask you two somethin', and I don't want you two lying or anything, alright?"

"What is it?" Ashe and Katarina asked in unison.

"What are you two now? Are you guys friends, enemies or what?"

"Umm, about that," Ashe blushed, her eyes suddenly taking an interest at the table. "Katarina and I are, well... We're giving our relationship a real try."

"Ohh, so you two are officially an item now?"

"Yes." The two of them replied.

"As in, a couple that kisses and make-out?"

The two of them blushed visibly. She mutely nodded, while Katarina mumbled a low _'yes'_.

"Wait," Vi looked between her and Katarina for a few times before her gaze stopped onto her. "Ashe, you said you're inexperienced with socializing and talking with other people except your parents and house staffs, right?"

"Um, yes, why?"

"Vi, where are you going with th...-!"

Vi interrupted Caitlyn with a quick peck on the lips, continuing on with her questioning afterwards and leaving her girlfriend to register what had just happened.

"But, you said that you actually have feelings for Katarina?"

"Er, yes."

Katarina, mildly confused and suspicious towards Vi, took out her water bottle from her bag, wordlessly watching the exchange of questions and answers in front of her.

"How did you know that you _actually_ have feelings for Katarina?"

"I... just did."

"What if you're just curious and you're just giving your relationship a try because it's some sort of _'test drive'_ for you?"

Katarina was just about to drink from her water bottle, placed the bottle down and glared at Vi. "What the fuck is that suppose to mean?"

"Of course not!" Ashe answered, sounding a little horrified with Vi's question.

"Hmm..." Vi rubbed her chin with a finger, while she received a confused look from her girlfriend and Ashe and a glare from Katarina.

"Vi, you're absolutely making no sense right now." Caitlyn began. "Why don't we just let them be with their relationship?"

"Yeah, leave us alone, pinky." Katarina snarled, glaring at Vi in some form of warning before she began drinking from her water bottle.

"Hey, Ashe," Vi called, surprisingly disregarding Caitlyn. It wasn't really surprising that she ignored Katarina, but her ignoring Caitlyn was a bit shocking.

"Y-Yes?"

...

...

...

...

...

"Kiss Caitlyn."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 _ **Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.**_

"Kiss Caitlyn."

At first, Katarina was gulping down some water, but the next thing she knew, she literally spat out all the water she had drank onto the table in front of her. All this because of Vi's ' _order'_. She pulled her hand back and threw the plastic bottle at Vi, who swiftly leaned to the side and dodged the incoming object without difficulty. She shot Vi the deadliest glare she could do, half hoping that Vi burns where she sat.

"What kind of fucking order is that!?"

Beside her, Ashe was sputtering random words, while Caitlyn looked downright taken aback and is completely speechless.

"What?" Vi _'innocently'_ asked. "In my opinion, if Ashe kisses Caitlyn and enjoys it more than when she kisses you, then it means Ashe is just curious with your relationship. If she doesn't enjoy it, then maybe Ashe IS in love with you."

"Your logic is shit, you know that!"

"What," Vi propped an elbow on the table and leaned forward, smirking at Katarina. "Scared that Ashe will like Cupcake more than you?"

"Vi!" Caitlyn flushed red.

"What...! No...! I, umm, uhh...-!" Ashe still has her tongue in loops and knots.

"Well, if you're so confident that Ashe actually has true feelings for you, then why do you look so nervous in letting her kiss Cait?"

"Because!" Katarina stomped her right foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Because what?"

Katarina had to figure out a way to prevent this from happening. Oh, how she wanted to strangle Vi right now. She glanced at Ashe, and found her girlfriend still sputtering and stumbling with her words. Caitlyn was trying to reason with Vi from the sidelines, but the pinkette didn't seem to notice. Either that, or she's still ignoring her own girlfriend, which rendered all the reasoning useless.

One thing is for sure in Katarina's book. She will not, she repeats, she will **NOT** have anyone kiss Ashe, especially on the lips, but herse...-!

Without warning, Vi got up, hooked one hand each behind Caitlyn and Ashe's head and pushed them towards each other while both females were in mid-sentence.

"Now kiss!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**


	23. Chapter 23

**ACT 23**

Ashe made her way towards the shower room, Katarina walking alongside her. She had just finished the last basketball practice of the day, so she plans on taking a shower and dressing up for her meeting with her cousins later today. Of course she's going to drop off Katarina first at the Du Couteau house before driving to the mall.

"Are you sure you want to come with me at the showers?" Ashe asked the redhead.

"It's much safer when I do," Katarina replied. "We can't take any more risks with someone else finding out about your gender."

"I could have just showered at the same time Vi had a few minutes ago."

"I don't really want to hear that pink menace's name."

She lightly blushed before murmuring, "You didn't have to tackle her earlier."

"Sure about that? Did you forget what she did?" Katarina gritted out, glaring at the floor.

"Not really..." The blush on her face strengthened. "It's not like she meant any harm. I guess she was just concerned."

"Pfft! Concerned? Yeah, right. Is forcing your own girlfriend and another person's girlfriend in kissing each other showing concern? If it is, then, what a way!"

...

...

...

"You know the kiss meant nothing to me, right?"

Ashe watched as Katarina crossed her arms and turned her head away, giving her no chances in seeing the face of the redhead.

"Katarina?"

Katarina grunted.

"Are you...

"..."

"...Jealous?"

Katarina became rigid and halted her walking. Ashe also stopped her movement, gaze still focused on her tense girlfriend.

"..."

"Ka...-!"

"Yes."

Ashe felt a bit surprised that Katarina actually answered her question straightforwardly. Katarina never really admitted that she gets jealous every now and then. Usually, Katarina stubbornly denied it, or just downright avoids the question by being flat-out snarky.

"Why?"

Katarina slightly became less rigid as she answered. "My reason is stupid."

"I'm sure it isn't."

"You're right. It isn't. It's pathetic."

"Katarina, stop degrading yourself so rashly."

"I always get jealous because of one pathetic reason, Ashe."

"And, what's that?"

"..."

When more than half a minute passed without any words being said, Ashe thought Katarina doesn't want to continue the conversation anymore. Opening her mouth, she was just about to utter something when...

"I'm afraid."

Ashe's eyebrows knitted in worry and confusion. "Afraid?"

"Yes."

"Why? What are you afraid of?"

"Ashe, I... I had only came to terms with my feelings for you recently, and I feel like I will regret wasting all the days that passed with me denying them in the past. All I could remember is that as soon as my mother died, I closed myself from the world. I pushed my emotions deep inside me, so I won't have to sort through them. But when I met you, I couldn't keep myself closed for so long. I managed to keep myself locked away in a cage, yet when you came, you got me out of that cage in just a blink of an eye."

Ashe found herself out of words as Katarina finally unleashed her kept emotions.

"I fell in love with you throughout the days I told myself you were just a friend. And each day that passed, a voice kept telling me to not love you, telling me that I'll only get hurt in the end. But, no, I was too stubborn to listen."

Katarina visibly slackened, looking a bit drained, due to her body's posture.

"And what scares me is that... Vi might be right."

"Right about what?" Ashe asked, her words almost sounding like a whisper.

"What if... What if you're just giving this relationship of ours a try because, well, you want to try. Not for love, but for the heck of it."

"Katarina, I would never do that. Especially to you."

"You're new to this, aren't you? You don't know how the big bad world works, how it usually ticks."

"That still doesn't prove anything, Katarina. I'm here as your lover, not because I want to see how being in a relationship is, but because I want to be with you."

"My point here is," Katarina turned and faced her, revealing eyes filled with tears on the edge of spilling. "I'm in love with you, Ashe."

"Katarina..."

"But... What about you?"

Ashe felt the wall against her back as Katarina lightly pushed her against it with her own weight. Katarina held the front of her basketball shirt as she looked into her eyes. She was so sure that Katarina could feel the loud beating of her heart.

"Are you in love with me?"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina felt like her heart was about to self-destruct inside of her, her chest constricting and clenching every single breath she took. The question she had asked, she wanted to know Ashe's true answer to it, and at the same time didn't, afraid of the possibility that she may not hear the words she desires.

She didn't know what possessed her to open up to Ashe so suddenly, to let go of all of her emotions in one moment. It was unexpected, but she knew that the only person she could show her emotions to is Ashe and Ashe alone.

It was time.

It was time to let her walls fall down and let Ashe through.

Yet, why does she tremble? Why does she feel unsafe? Exposed?

Oh, right...

Because she's scared.

Her grip on Ashe's shirt tightened. She ended up bowing her head and placing it on the other female's chest as the tears she withheld back for years came running down her face, staining it with clear drops she had never shed ever since her mother had died.

Why hasn't Ashe answered?

It made Katarina's heart ache painfully. It's as if a dagger was mercilessly piercing it over and over again, inflicting internal agony.

"Ashe..." She breathed out, sucking in a breath of air afterwards. "Don't... Just don't answer... If you don't love me... Then, just... Push me... Push me back and just... walk away..."

"..."

"I won't tell anyone your secret... But, please... If you don't feel the same, then just...-!"

"I am."

Katarina stiffened, her breathing coming to a halt for a moment. She felt a pair of cool hands cup her jaw and push it upward, making her look back into Ashe's eyes.

She didn't get a chance to say at least a syllable. Ashe's lips was on hers, causing more tears to fall from her eyes. Tears of content and happiness spilled out, and Katarina gave in to the urge of wrapping her arms around Ashe's neck, hands clasping together on her lover's nape.

Ashe caressed the sides of her face with smooth hands she had come to adore. All the struggle she felt when she was opening up, it was all worth it. Especially if it means having Ashe in her arms. Their lips moved against each other in sync, and Katarina would have it no other way. In that very moment, she felt the love between her and Ashe spark beautifully inside of her and it was heavenly.

When Ashe pulled away to speak, she leaned forward more and captured her girlfriend's pale lips yet again. She felt and heard Ashe chuckle between the kiss, but it was disregarded. She was too focused in the sweet and rather refreshing taste Ashe's lips possessed.

She slipped her tongue inside Ashe's mouth as soon as she got the opportunity, and she didn't delay herself. She excitedly let her tongue explore and taste the wonders Ashe has to offer.

This time, she was the one who pulled away, slightly panting due to the fact that they need to breathe. The thin bridge of saliva between at the short distance between their lips serving as one of the evidences of their passionate kiss.

"Don't you ever cry again, Katarina," Ashe murmured, mildly out of breath. "Because you, of all the people in Runeterra, should know that you're the only person I want to give my every first and last to. That is a promise."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I promised you, didn't I? And, I'm sure you know," Ashe gave her a quick kiss on the lips, showing a genuine smile after.

"Know...?"

"That I don't break my promises."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe ended the call and placed her phone on the dashboard of her car. She had just called Lissandra and told her cousin that she couldn't make it due to a matter she had to tend to. Her cousin was understanding enough to be completely fine with cancelling their get together.

After letting go of her phone, she took a glance at the sleeping redhead at the front passenger seat. It only took a few minutes for Katarina to fall asleep as soon as she had boarded the white vehicle, and she didn't blame her girlfriend.

She knew it must have been draining for Katarina to suddenly open up like that, so she let her lover have her slumber while she drove to the Du Couteau mansion. Every time she recalled the memory of their recent kiss, it made her cheeks grow warm and her heart celebrate by beating in rapid and loud thumps.

Ashe was completely and utterly determined to keep the promises she made to Katarina.

She gently eased her foot on the brakes as she parked her car right in front of the Du Couteau estate. She turned off the engine and looked towards Katarina, who still remained asleep.

Oh, how adorable Katarina looked in her eyes right now.

Why adorable, you ask?

Maybe because Katarina is all huddled at the car seat with Ashe's warm, and obviously too big, jean jacket wrapped around her comfortably, looking very snug and cozy.

 **Buzz! Buzz!**

Ashe redirected her attention to her vibrating phone on the dashboard, truthfully not really wanting to take her eyes away from the sight just half an arm's length away from her. She reached for it and checked what was indicated on the screen.

 _1 New Message_

 **From** : _Sierra_

 **Subject** : _Family Business_

Opening the message, Ashe's eyes scanned through the words carefully.

 **Sierra** : _Come home. I have something to discuss with you. It's urgent and concerns our family._

Ashe sighed and exited the car. She went around and opened Katarina's door. She wasn't quite sure if she could actually lift Katarina up, but it's worth a try, right? By the way Katarina looks, she didn't really want to wake her up and disrupt her comfortable slumber.

...

Surprisingly, Katarina wasn't as heavy as she had expected. She took a second to silently thank the exercise she had done and usually does everyday. After lightly kicking the car door closed, she climbed up the steps with Katarina in her arms, still sleeping soundly.

Despite the chilly night and her only wearing a white shirt, she still felt warm. What, with Katarina snuggling against her, almost instantly, as soon as she had taken her in her arms, what more can she ask for?

When she got to the top of the steps, she saw something move from one of the windows near the doors. It only took at least three to five seconds before the door opened and revealed Cassiopeia, who then greeted her in a hushed volume.

"This is a first." Cassiopeia commented lowly, eyeing Katarina's sleeping form with amusement.

Ashe tilted her head to the side, wordlessly asking a question. Cassiopeia shook her head and just opened the two doors widely for her to walk in without difficulty.

"Here."

Ashe entered the mansion and walked past Cassiopeia, the green haired female closing the doors and turning back to her afterwards.

"Do you want me to call Talon or a staff to take her off your hands?"

With a small smile, Ashe shook her head. "It's fine. I got her."

Cassiopeia resisted the urge to smirk. "You sure do."

Ashe bowed her head a bit as a silent way of asking herself to be excused before she steadily climbed up the stairs, taking each step slowly to, not only be careful, but to also not awaken her lover from her slumber.

As she passed by a few house staffs, mostly maids, they all wore either surprised or shocked expressions on their faces. Ashe just acknowledged them with a few nods here and there to avoid being impolite.

Once she reached Katarina's bedroom, she was, yet again, lucky, for someone was there to open the door for her. That someone being specifically Katarina's father, Marcus, who seemed to be just passing by. That is, until, he saw her.

She whispered her thanks to the older man, who gave her a nod in return, before continuing into the room. It didn't take long for her to have Katarina lying on the bed, but what took time was the fact that Katarina wouldn't let go of her.

A small smile reached her lips as she delicately pulled Katarina's hands away from her shirt. When Katarina's hands were fully detached from her, the redhead instantly curled up into the jacket, looking like a peaceful baby enjoying her wonderful dreams.

"Even when you're asleep," Ashe softly whispered. "You still won't let go of me."

She brushed the few stray strands of hair on Katarina's face before leaning down and placing a quick yet gentle kiss on the other female's lips.

"Sweet dreams, Kat."

Pulling away, Ashe let her gaze linger at Katarina's sleeping self. She turned away and was about to exit the bedroom, when she suddenly stopped. Apparently, Marcus hadn't left after he had opened the door for her.

Ashe didn't know if what she saw was a small yet real and sincere smile on the general's face, or if it was just a mirage of some sort. It's because when she blinked, it was gone.

"Thank you." Was all Marcus told her before he spun around and took his leave.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

As Ashe took her own leave, she truly felt happy. No words can describe what she currently felt right now, and she didn't really bother looking for some.

The thought of her jacket being left at the Du Couteau estate, she only prayed that her jacket would be enough to serve as a substitute for her own arms. If she were to decide, she probably would have either stayed the night with Katarina, or probably would have waited until Katarina stirs from her sleep to say a proper goodbye. But, no matter. She didn't really mind it.

For once, everything is going the way she wants it to.

She felt like luck was being rained down upon her, and she welcomed it openly. After all, who would push away good luck?

What she doesn't know though, is that her fortune will take a turn for the worst.

She may have broken the bindings that kept Katarina from being free from her own problems, but it never really occurred to Ashe that she herself will never be free from her own chains in life.

Especially when a certain stepmother has something to say and do about it.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _What? Did you really think I only filled this story with sunshines and rainbows? Hey, I'm not Leona and Lux combined._

 _(Okay, that "joke" is an epic fail, I know.)_


	24. Chapter 24

**ACT 24**

Katarina stood in the middle of a random room, the room completely unfurnished. Truly, there was nothing there that captured her eye. Not even a window. She's the only person in the said boring room. Well, her and...

"Ashe?"

She found Ashe standing in front of her, wearing her a pair of casual pants and a white shirt. Ashe walked up to her and much to her expectation, wrapped her arms around her without a single hint of a warning at all. Her eyes widened for a moment in surprise before she asked.

"Ashe? What are you...-!"

"Thank you, Katarina." Ashe abruptly cut off.

"What for?" She asked, completely confused.

Ashe pulled her head back and gazed into her eyes, holding her chin with her fingers as she did so.

"For everything that you've done for me. For everything that you've taught me, showed me, I appreciate it all."

She couldn't suppress the light blush on her cheeks. Instead, she settled on looking away and avoiding Ashe's gaze to try and hide it.

"It was nothing."

Ashe smiled at her. "Because of you and our relationship, I now know how I can be a better lover to my next girlfriend."

Katarina's head almost snapped off of her neck when she whipped her gaze back to her Ashe, who still smiled at her.

"W-What? What are you talking about?"

"Riven and I have been talking lately and, well, we've gotten closer than before. And honestly, I... like her more than you."

"W-What!?"

"Why are you so surprised, Katarina?"

"Ashe, our relationship...-!"

"Was just an experience, and I'm sorry for playing you like that."

"What!? What the hell are you talking about!?"

"I thought it over, and, well... I don't really think you're the one for me, Katarina. Thank you for the experience though."

Katarina felt and looked truly horrified with it. Ashe can't be serious, right? The feeling of her chest constricting gave her a bit of difficulty in breathing properly.

Was this _'new beginning'_ of theirs really just a moment of practice for Ashe?

Nothing but a test-run?

"Didn't we break rule number four? Don't you have feelings for me?" She asked, now grabbing the front of Ashe's shirt. Ashe didn't seem to be fazed with it. In fact, she looked absolutely calm, which irked her and hurt her deep down.

"We did, Katarina, but I guess it was just phase for me. Just like what Vi had said, I am new to this relationship thing. As a gentleman, I will honor your wishes."

"And what the actual fuck do you even know of my goddamn wishes!?"

"You said, after these three months of pretending, we'll go our separate ways and never see each other again, correct?"

"Y-Yeah, I said that! But, I took it back, remember?"

"Our fake relationship is over. Therefore, I will honor your wish and leave you be."

"Damn it, Ashe! Are you even hearing yourself!? What you're saying!?" She pushed and tugged at Ashe, shaking the other female in anger. "Are you seriously just going to leave me like this!?"

"Katarina," Ashe firmly held her wrists and pulled her hands away from her blazer. "When I start a relationship with Riven, I'll finally be able to forget about you. And when I do, I'll be able to completely move on and start a new chapter of my life."

"But I don't want you to forget about me!" She yanked her wrists out of Ashe's firm grip and started pounding her fists on the Avarosa's chest. "I don't want you to leave me!"

"Katarina...-!"

"I don't want to lose you!"

Ashe caught her wrists again and stopped her little assault.

"I'm sorry, Katarina."

Ashe's grip loosened and Katarina found herself falling down on her knees, her legs too weak, too numb, to carry her weight. She wiped the tears that came and fell from her eyes. Looking up, she found Ashe standing in front of her...

With Riven.

Riven wrapped her arms around one of Ashe's own, securing it against her torso, while she leaned her head on Ashe's right shoulder.

"Truly, Katarina, I apologize, but," Ashe turned and gazed at Riven adoringly. "I was never yours to begin with."

Riven smirked at her in triumph.

"You should have expected this, Katarina. Ashe ending up with me was inevitable." Riven then turned and gave Ashe a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's because she loves me. Not you."

"Ashe!" Katarina called, but the white haired female turned away with her new lover, walking away from her

"Ashe, wait!"

They continued walking, putting distance between them and her.

"Ashe!"

No signs of stopping can be seen nor noticed.

"Ashe!"

...

...

...

Katarina suddenly bolted upright to a sitting position, her hands instinctively clutching the duvet as she abruptly and loudly yelled out.

"Ashe!"

It took her a moment before she realized that everything she had just seen and heard was just a nightmare. She's back at her own bedroom, not at that awful plain room she found herself in earlier.

Katarina rubbed her right eye with a mildly clenched fist to remove the blur in her eye sight, but much to her own surprise, she felt her fist come in contact with something wet. And, no, she didn't poke her eye or anything like that.

With both hands, she touched her face.

Only to feel freshly shed tears.

 _'Was I... Was I crying?'_

All of a sudden, her door swung open. There, at the doorway, is her father, her sister and her brother. In short, her whole family.

"What're you three...-!"

"We heard you scream." Talon said flatly.

When her siblings made a move in entering her room, Katarina immediately jumped off of her bed, unknowingly leaving Ashe's jacket on the bed, and intercepted the two before they could fully enter through the doorway.

"I'm fine!" She grunted, practically shoving her two siblings out of the room.

"Were you crying?" Came Cassiopeia's teasing voice.

"Out!"

 ** _SLAM!_**

Katarina placed her back onto the now closed door, one of her hands swiftly locking it. When she heard the low click of the lock, she also heard her father's voice from outside.

"Give your sister some time. She'll open up eventually."

She wanted to shout over her shoulder, telling her father that she will never open up to any of them. But, she knew that she actually will. Eventually. Her father knows her too much to be wrong with his words. In the end, all she heard was the retreating footsteps of her family.

Katarina waited for a full minute before taking her back off the door and walking back to the bed, sitting on it. She wanted to flop back down and sleep, but she was still planning on taking a quick shower to freshen herself up. Also, she still has matters to deal with, and by matters, she is referring to the dream she had just been in.

 _'More like a nightmare.'_ She scoffed in her thoughts.

Her sarcasm faded though. Instead, it was replaced by a feeling of unease. The dream had hit too close to home and she felt a bit sick just by thinking about it. It made her queasy, and she did not like it one bit.

 _'Maybe a shower can give me some relaxation.'_

The shower was too quick in Katarina's opinion. Next thing she knew, she was lying back down on her bed, under a blanket and wearing nothing but her panties and Ashe's jacket. The warm material had Ashe's refreshing scent all over, and every breath she took calmed her down.

Well, it calmed her down enough for her not to stand and pace around the room like an idiot. The dream still bothered her, and the feeling in her stomach was not a good sign either. She didn't know what or why, but she felt like something bad was going to happen.

It took a while, but the peppermint scent of the jacket managed to lull her back to sleep.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina stared out of the window of the moving car, while her siblings conversed in a moderate volume beside her.

"Hey, Katarina," She heard Cassiopeia's call. "Why didn't Ashe pick you up today?"

Her question made Katarina think as well. She had waited for Ashe to arrive to pick her up for school, but she never came. She didn't get a text message from her, so Katarina assumed Ashe probably woke up late or had some important things to do. She can still feel the uneasiness inside of her. Her sleep never did banish it.

Katarina denied all the negative possibilities. For once, she doesn't want to have a negative thinking. Right now, she looked at everything from the bright side, and honestly, it slightly creeps Cassiopeia out, since her sister is usually used to her being mean and negative all the time.

"I don't know. She probably had something important to do." She answered with a half-hearted shrug.

After answering that, it was like Katarina's mind went into full autopilot mode. The whole morning, it just passed by in a big blur to her.

Why? It's because Ashe wasn't present in any of the morning classes.

At first she remembered that Ashe has basketball practice, which explains why her girlfriend wasn't there. But when lunch time came, Ashe was still nowhere to be found. Begrudgingly, she had to go to Vi and ask the _'pink menace'_ if Ashe had attended practice. Much to her surprise, Ashe was also absent from the basketball practice.

The weird churning in her stomach became a bit more pronounced the following the day.

Once again, Ashe wasn't present for the day. Katarina was beginning to worry about her lover. Ashe hasn't returned a single text to her, and each time she checked her phone for a reply, only to see no such thing, it saddened her and at the same time increased her concern. She tried calling, but all she heard was the ringing from the other end.

"Kata!"

Katarina, who was on her way to her motorcycle, stopped and spun around halfway to face her sister. She really is in a hurry, and she knew not answering back to her sister would either delay her leave, or give her _'problems'_ later on.

"What is it, Cass?"

"Where are you going?"

"To Ashe's apartment, why?"

"Are you going to be home for dinner?"

"Why do you care?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at her sibling.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you what today is, right?"

She suppressed a groan. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's father's birthday."

"Then, I'm quite sure that you'll be home in time for the celebration."

"I will." She grunted out before rushing towards her motorcycle.

Katarina was on the road in no time. She didn't like the vibe she currently felt. It was like Ashe had just disappeared without much of a notice, and it made her determined to find out why. As Ashe's girlfriend, she will get to the bottom of this.

Currently halted in front of the stop light, Katarina distractedly stared at the gauge of her motorcycle while she continued thinking about what could have happened to the white haired female. Countless possibilities ran through her head, yet she found them all too exaggerated and a tad bit impossible.

 ** _Vroom!_**

Katarina's gaze snapped upward and found an awfully familiar sports car in front of her. Right there, just a few meters away from her current position, is Ashe's sports car, the owner herself driving the said vehicle.

"Ashe!" Katarina reflexively called out, a smile automatically appearing on he face.

But, her call seem to have been unheard. Ashe merely drove forward and passed her without a single glance spared to her place. As soon as Ashe had gotten her car to the opposite lane, she accelerated and headed towards the direction of their school.

The smile on her face disappeared and was replaced with a confused expression. Without an inch of hesitation, Katarina performed a screeching U-turn, ignoring the furious honking of a few cars, and immediately trailed after Ashe.

Katarina tightly gripped the handles of her two-wheeler vehicle, teeth mildly clenched as she increased her driving speed in each passing minute. She skidded to a halt at the very front of Darius and Draven's car, which is where her siblings and her circle of friends are hanging out at.

"Kata?" She heard Cassiopeia's confusion-filled voice.

She had yet to take her helmet off when she spotted Ashe's parked vehicle a large distance away from where she is. It seems that Ashe had parked there to intentionally avoid interacting with her girlfriend's friends and siblings. Not bothering on turning off her motorcycle's engine, she dismounted and pushed her helmet off. She tossed it to her confused sister.

"Where's Ashe?"

"Inside the school." Talon answered, glancing at the main entrance of the building.

Katarina shot towards the door like a speeding bullet and ran through the first hall her eyes landed on. She had to catch Ashe before her girlfriend could leave the premises.

 _'I have to talk to her! I need to!'_

She practically explored the whole school. Every step she took, her stomach would churn and her chest would feel a small twinge. She wasn't liking what she's been constantly feeling, and she could only hope that it's not a sign of misfortune.

Katarina slowed her running until she stopped beside a window. She doesn't know how long she's been running, but she's quite sure it's been passed thirty minutes ever since she began her search in school. She placed her hands on her knees as she leaned down in exhaustion, taking in breath after breath of air.

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

She felt like her head would have snapped off its neck due to the speed it had when she suddenly whipped her gaze to the window at her right. Katarina straightened up and moved closer to the window.

Outside, her eyes zeroed in on Ashe, who was opening her car door and assisting a beautiful black haired female into the vehicle.

"Ashe...?"

Katarina choked on her own breath as she watched the unnamed beauty lean forward and give Ashe a kiss on the lips. It was a brief kiss, took maybe a second or two before it ended.

 ** _Thump!_**

She leaned her head on the glass of the window, one hand touching the glass, and the other clutching her chest. Despite the fact that it was a quick kiss, it broke her heart when she saw Ashe willingly let it happen. Her supposedly faithful girlfriend didn't even put up a pinch of struggle. Ashe had even presented a small smile to the beauty after the kiss.

With glassy eyes, she watched, watched as Ashe boarded the vehicle and started the engine, driving out of her parking lot within a few seconds. It didn't take long before her gaze was just stuck to a parking space once occupied by a certain vehicle she had become familiar with.

...

...

...

...

...

 ** _Thud!_**

Katarina dropped herself onto the floor with a soft thud, nails weakly clawing at the cold marble ground. Her teeth would clench and unclench in every shaky breath she took.

 _'What... What is this...?'_ She asked herself as she clutched her chest with one hand.

She could feel her chest clenching like her teeth, constricting painfully. Every unsteady breath she took, every second that passed, the searing pain in her heart wouldn't decrease. It just kept getting more and more painful for her.

"Ashe... Ashe... Ashe..." She kept breathing and gasping out as if it was the only thing she knew.

Her vision started to become blurry with tears, and she stubbornly refused to let it fall.

"I don't... I don't...!" Katarina clutched the sides of her head, fingers burying themselves in her red hair and grasping at it. "I don't want to cry because of you!"

Katarina released a pained and cracked scream.

 _'Why do these tears keep coming!?'_ She angrily questioned as little clear drops began running down her face.

"Ashe!" She called out desperately. "Ashe! Damn it!"

" ** _Katarina!_** "

Dozens of footsteps echoed from down the hall as Cassiopeia and Talon ran up to their weeping sibling, both possessing concerned expressions on their faces.

"Ashe!" Katarina continued calling.

"Katarina..." Cassiopeia kneeled down beside her and reached out.

"Don't touch me!" She half-snarled, pushing her own sister's hands away from her.

"Katarina," Talon tried calling for her attention, but it was in vain.

Katarina, despite her best efforts, continuously shed her tears, while she fought against the comfort her sister offered.

"Ashe! I want Ashe!" She shouted, fists clenched and head shaking sideways. "I want her to be the one to get me from here!"

"Kata...-!"

"Leave me alone!"

Katarina made a move to push her sister again, but Cassiopeia swiftly took her in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Katarina, let it out." Cassiopeia murmured, keeping a firm hold around her.

Katarina squirmed in her grasp, but it was useless. She still struggled though, despite it being futile and a mere waste of energy.

"I don't want any of you here! I want Ashe!"

"Katarina, just let it out."

"I need Ashe!" She yelled.

"Katarina,"

She, with her chin still perched on Cassiopeia's shoulder, raised her gaze and looked at her brother with a broken and tear-filled glare.

"For once in your life, just let yourself cry."

At first, Talon thought his words only reached and fell on deaf ears, but when Katarina's angered expression slowly faded. The struggling seized and soon, Cassiopeia felt Katarina bury her face in her shoulder and soak it with unrestrained tears. Katarina wrapped her arms around her sister and clutched Cassiopeia's shoulders in a tight grip as she finally let her emotions take over her body.

"Ashe..."

Katarina trembled as she remembered the kiss she and Ashe shared a few days ago. A kiss that made her feel alive, that made her heart skip more than a beat, that made her feel completely loved.

"I hate you..."

She said those words...

Yet why does her thoughts say otherwise.

 _'I love you...'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _And... cut! Okay, this is the ending of the story. I hope all of you enjoyed it. :3_

 _Just kiddin'! XD_

 _We've only gotten started with the main problem for our two protagonist! :3_


	25. Chapter 25

**ACT 25**

It has only been a few hours ever since Katarina had last seen Ashe, and she's been acting like a zombie on autopilot the whole evening of her father's little birthday celebration. Her father noticed it but decided to say nothing, giving her the space she needs and the privacy she deserves.

Cassiopeia and Talon wouldn't let her leave to go to Ashe's apartment when she had attempted to do so earlier. Her two siblings think that she needs some time to think and ponder about the situation she had witnessed, and maybe take a break from the one that caused the situation from the first place.

As soon as dinner was finished, she mumbled a low birthday greeting to her father before she climbed up the stairs and retreated into her area, which she is her bedroom. The only place where she can let her stoic expression fall and morph into its original depressed look.

She got on her bed and curled up in a ball, hugging Ashe's jacket in her arms as if it would disappear if she were to let go of it. She treated it like some sort of lifeline of hers. Katarina felt so hollow inside, especially in her chest. It's like there's something that died inside of her.

She assumed it was her heart.

Her once ice cold heart.

One that was melted and warmed by the tender affection Ashe had _'acted out'_ for her before crushing it in the most brutal way possible.

Every time she closed her eyes, the memory of the unnamed female kissing Ashe kept flashing into her mind, which replayed the painful feeling over and over again. She so badly wanted to forget about it, but she couldn't. It's like her brain was rigged to torment her with every moment she tried to find a haven within herself. She desperately wants to rewind time and do at least something that will prevent Ashe from cheating.

 _'Was it because I opened up to her?'_ She asked herself, looking down at the clothing in her arms. _'Is it because I showed her that I'm... pathetic?'_

One of her hands wandered to one of her pockets and it only took a few seconds until she was staring at her cellphone's screen. Her thumb moved itself automatically, tapping onto the screen weakly. It pressed onto the _'Messages'_ application, clicked a chat thread and began composing a text to send to a certain white haired person.

 **Katarina** : _Ashe?_

If she weren't depressed, she would have referred to her own message as a piece of shit. She stared at the screen for God knows how long, waiting for a reply.

None came.

Or so she thought.

A message popped up, so suddenly, that she almost dropped her phone. Her eyes fell upon the reply, which consisted one mere word.

 **Ashe** : _What?_

She had been texting and calling Ashe from the past two days, so, despite the utterly short answer back, she considered this as a huge progress. It felt like her already broken heart had leapt over her throat because of the rush of excitement it unexpectedly brought to her.

 **Katarina** : _Why aren't you going to school lately?_

 _'Take it one step at a time, Katarina. Don't rush in carelessly.'_

One...

Two...

Three...

 **Ashe** : _I've been busy._

Katarina pursed her lips in a tight line as she read the reply for more than three times.

 _'Busy with what or... busy with who?'_

Before she could think of her next response, another message came in and emerged in her screen.

 **Ashe** : _What do you want?_

She was taken slightly by surprise with Ashe's unpredicted text. It sounded too... straightforward for her. It felt like Ashe was questioning her, and her girlfriend never questioned her like this. Instead of typing her earlier thoughts onto the text box, she decided to settle for a different message.

 **Katarina** : _Can I know what my girlfriend has been doing for the past two days?_

She wants to Ashe tell her the truth herself. To tell her that what she's been doing. She desires for Ashe to tell her that what she saw at VU was a big misunderstanding, some stupid act or anything of that sort. Hell, she'll even accept it if it was just a silly prank.

Unlike the replies earlier, the next reply took some time. But, nonetheless, another reply came back.

A reply that she never, not even one bit, expected.

 **Ashe** : _Getting married to someone better than you._

...

...

...

Her phone slid out of her hand as her hold around it loosened. It fell onto her bed soundlessly. She blankly stared at her now empty hand. In her peripherals, she saw another message come in. Without grabbing her phone, she turned her head slightly and looked at the new message.

 **Ashe** : _You are nothing to me. I'd appreciate it if you would leave me be. It's over._

Katarina could only stare emptily at the screen of her cellphone, her already broken heart becoming more shattered than it ever was.

 _'I'm... nothing to her...?'_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Marcus arranged his tie and checked if his usual general's uniform is complete and tidy before exiting his bedroom, grabbing his hat and tucking it under his arm in the process. He checked the time from the silver wristwatch his children had bought for him as a birthday present yesterday.

It's only five thirty in the morning, and he knew his children would probably still be asleep.

But, why did he find Cassiopeia and Talon at the kitchen, the two stirring a spoon around in one bowl of cereal each.

"Already awake, I see." He said as he walked into the kitchen.

Cassiopeia and Talon nodded. "Morning, Father."

"How is your sister?"

Talon remained quiet, so Cassiopeia spoke for the two of them. "She's still in her room. We're... just not sure if she's in the mood to go to school later."

Marcus recalled memory from last night. The pair had told him about what had happened and what they saw what Ashe had done at school. In short, he's already been well-informed about the incident and every detail about how Katarina had reacted.

Despite the story being told to him without anything left out, he doubted Ashe would do such a thing. In his opinion, Ashe would never do something like that so... willingly.

"Let her be," He stated. "If she does not desire to attend school today, then give her what she needs."

After those words, the banana he had taken from the fruit bowl was eaten and the peel was thrown away. He bid his children goodbye before he exited the estate, boarding the waiting black vehicle at the bottom of the front steps.

He has plans for today, and not all of them involve work.

The hours passed quickly for him, next thing he knew he was turning away from a soldier he was speaking to and made his way out of the Institute of War, which is the main headquarters of all the military personnel in Runeterra. He glanced at his watch.

9:02 a.m.

 _'Perfect.'_

He made his way to the parking lot and as usual, the vehicle he rode in this earlier morning is there, waiting for him.

"Leaving already, sir?" His driver asked as he opened the door for him.

"I have an errand to run." He replied before slipping into the backseat.

As soon as the driver was at his designated seat at the front, the employee asked. "Where to, sir?"

"To Freljord Corporation."

"At once, sir."

Marcus had made a call last night after he had one of his connections retrieve him the number of the current CEO of Freljord. He had set an appointment with the man, and luckily enough, Alkove himself agreed to give him the said appointment he requested.

The whole day, his mind wasn't fully focused on one task only. It kept circling around and about for his plans later on. He may be a workaholic, as most people say, but when it comes to his children, he makes time for them. If there will be a time that he is to pick between his job and his children, he will, without an inch of doubt, choose his family.

Family comes first before anything else in his life.

Even if it needed him to leave important military documents that are supposed to be reviewed and approved by him now just to talk to the father of his daughter's girlfriend.

The drive to their destination was brief and quick. As soon as the car stopped and the door was opened for him, he exited the car and walked up to the steps of the tall building. He didn't bother checking with the receptionist at the front desk. Instead, he walked ahead and used an elevator to get to the very top floor.

The elevator doors parted after a minute or so, and Marcus stepped out. A woman, which he assumed is the secretary of Alkove, greeted him.

"General Du Couteau,"

"I'm here for my appointment."

"Right this way."

The secretary led him down a hall and after ten seconds, he found himself entering a wide office. And, in the office, is the man of his daughter's girlfriend.

"Mister Avarosa." He greeted formally.

Alkove placed the file he was reading onto his desk and stood up from his chair, shaking hands with Marcus.

"General Du Couteau," The other man greeted back. "I must say, this is rather sudden, but nonetheless, an honor to meet with you personally."

Marcus is well-known as one of the greatest generals in the military and is always busy, so he didn't bother commenting in anything about what Alkove had just said. Alkove gestured for him to take a seat and he did, settling at the leather chair across the desk and taking off his hat in the process.

"I am quite grateful that you accepted my request for your audience."

"To be honest, I would not have made time for this appointment if it weren't for the fact that one of your daughters are friends with my only child."

Marcus had two things in his mind. He discovered that Alkove doesn't know about his own daughter being in a relationship with Katarina, and he assumes Alkove is doing his best to not specify the gender of his daughter.

"That is actually why I am here," He answered. "First of all, to remove any possibilities of arguments and misunderstandings, I will inform you now that I know that Ashe is your daughter. And, to reassure you, her secret is perfectly safe."

Alkove didn't seem to be fazed with his words. In fact, he looked like he was prepared for it. He, once again, assumed that the other man had anticipated his response.

"I expected as much. After all, Ashe is friends with your own daughter, so it was inevitable for her to know about the secret. Katarina is her first friend, so like I said, inevitable. Now, why do you want to talk about our daughters?"

"May I inquire about your daughter's life, Mister Avarosa?"

"It depends on your question."

"What is Ashe doing right now?"

"I don't see the relevance of why you need to know, General."

It's true though. It's not like it's an everyday occurrence to have an adult man ask about another man's daughter and about what she's doing. It's only right that Alkove was careful about it, and he understood his intentions fully. If the situation was heard and not explained to an eavesdropper, it would probably make him look some sort of pedophile.

"I personally came here to know if Ashe is busy or not," He calmly explained. "My daughter does not make friends easily. Truthfully speaking, Ashe is the first person and friend my daughter has mentioned to me. Right now, Katarina has been feeling a tad bit neglected by your child, which is why I merely want to know the reason why Ashe does not have time to at least pay a brief visit or a vacancy in her schedule."

Alkove suddenly looked saddened. "Ashe, along with Sierra and her fiancée, has been busy for the wedding preparations."

"Wedding preparations?"

"Yes," Alkove nodded. "My wife had decided to arrange a marriage for Ashe a few days ago. She plans on marrying Ashe to Ahri Seducere to... ensure our fortune is not rid from the family."

"And your daughter is fine with it?"

Looking down, Alkove sighed. "She doesn't have much of a choice."

"What about you?" Marcus found himself questioning boldly. "Are you just going to stand at the sidelines and watch your daughter be married off to someone she does not even know?"

"I want to intervene, General. Believe me, I do. But... Ashe does not want me to do so."

"Why?"

"Ashe had always been selfless. She knows that I have a heart condition. I only have a few months to live, and a heated argument can only speed up my time in meeting with death. Ashe doesn't want me to fight with Sierra, fearing that I may achieve an early departure during a fight."

"Which will only bring her in grave and awful waters with your wife." Marcus murmured, wanting to succumb to the urge to sigh.

"Precisely." Alkove nodded. "I deeply and sincerely apologize in my daughter's behalf. I'm completely sure that Ashe did not mean to hurt Katrina in any way possible. But, with my wife controlling Ashe's life, I'm afraid the most recent meeting your daughter had with my own is the last one."

" ** _Alkove!_** "

Marcus didn't even get a chance to reply as a woman's voice suddenly cut in with his conversation with the other man. Looking over his shoulder, he found a woman walking up to them.

"What is it now, Sierra?" Alkove asked in an exasperated tone.

"Don't use that tone on me," Sierra said warningly. "Have you distributed the wedding invitations to our business partners?"

"The meeting is still two hours from now. No, I have not."

Sierra opened her mouth to speak and probably rant some more, when she finally noticed Marcus, who looked at her with a neutral gaze.

Of course the emerald eyes was immediately recognized by the woman. It's the same eyes Katarina possessed. She had done her research after hearing a few maids murmuring about Katarina, and when she questioned those said maids about the appearance of Katarina herself, she instantly realized who they conversed about. Sierra had to resist the want to smirk at the opportunity now given to her on a silver platter.

"Oh, hello there," She greeted him. "You must be General Du Couteau."

"I am," Marcus stood up and held out a hand to avoid being impolite.

"I'm Sierra Avarosa. It's certainly wonderful to meet you." Sierra said with an awfully sweet smile. "You have a daughter, right? Katarina?"

"Yes."

He did not like her _'friendly'_ tone one bit. It made him suspicious of her intentions, which he theorized that it probably isn't kinds ones. After all, what else could you expect from a woman that forces her own daughter to dress like a man? Awful things, that's for sure.

"From what I've heard from Ashe, she is a friend, correct?"

"Indeed." He didn't bother denying the info they know.

Marcus knew that correcting her and telling her that Katarina is actually and specifically Ashe's girlfriend will only bring more trouble for the young female. The fact that Ashe kept it from her father is enough of a sign for him.

"Then, please," Sierra swiftly reached a hand inside her bag and produced a white and folded invitation, handing it to him. "Come to the wedding. I'm sure Ashe would be absolutely _ecstatic_ to see his friend there."

"Thank you for the invite," He thanked, again, to avoid being impolite. "I cannot guarantee our appearance there, but we will make an effort to attend the event."

"Brilliant."

"Sierra...-!" Alkove tried interjecting, but was cut off by the woman herself.

"All that's left to do is for you to hand out the invitations I gave you, and we'll be finished with the invites."

"Your son must be happy with this marriage of his." He mentioned, wanting to know what Sierra's reaction will be from hid words.

"Believe me, General. Ashe is completely excited to get married."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Sierra excused herself from the two men after giving the wedding invitation to the grand general. She hummed quietly yet happily to herself as she stepped inside the elevator. When the elevator slid close with no passengers but herself, she couldn't help but smile at how things are turning out.

 _'Finally. Everything is coming to place.'_ She smirked. _'Katarina Du Couteau will be nothing but a worthless notch in Ashe's belt.'_

As she thought about this, she pulled out a small object from her bag.

 **Ashe's cellphone**.

A gadget that she had confiscated from her 'son' as soon as she told Ashe about the arranged marriage. Last time she had checked and used the phone was last night when _'Ashe'_ had a _'very nice'_ conversation with Katarina via text message. She swiped the lock screen away and had to stop herself from looking amused at the reply Katarina had sent back after the 'you are nothing to me' text 'Ashe' had sent last night.

 **Katarina** : _I fucking hate you. Don't you ever show yourself to me again._

"Such a foul mouth you have, darling. Oh, don't worry, Katarina," Sierra cooed at the screen. "You will never be seeing my son again."

A few soundless taps later...

 **Ashe** : _You were never my loss. I never loved you in the beginning anyway._

"And neither will he see you."

With that, Sierra locked the phone again and slipped it back into her bag.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Hope you're all happy, my awesome readers! Leave a reviw or two and tell me your thoughts about all of this if you have the time. :D_


	26. Chapter 26

**ACT 26**

Ashe sat on an armchair and mindlessly stared at the fire in the lit fireplace at the living room, form hunched, elbows perched on her knees and fingers loosely tangled to each other. The bright orange flames reflected against her cerulean eyes, making a unique combination in its blue hues.

She has now found herself forever bound and controlled by her stepmother.

A few days ago, after she had brought Katarina back to the Du Couteau estate, she obediently went to visit her mother at the family mansion, only to be told that she was going to be arranged to marry a girl named Ahri Seducere. She had no say in it, at all.

And believe her, she tried fighting for her own decision.

 _Three days ago..._

 _"Arranged to be married!?" Ashe blurted out as she shot off of her seat on the couch across her stepmother, a small glass coffee table serving as the only object between them._

 _"Yes," Sierra narrowed her eyes at her. "Is there... something you are not telling me, Ashe?"_

 _Ashe felt like her heart rate had suddenly increased to a significant speed. She could feel it pounding inside of her like a wild and caged animal wanting to just burst out of her body._

 _Just like that..._

 _It was just like that._

 _She was suddenly thrusted towards the position where she had to decide her future in just a few seconds. A decision that can effect, not only her, but a certain someone she has acquired in her life._

 _Now she has two choices. Either she stays under Sierra's control and do whatever she wants to, not only save herself, but to also save her father's marriage and the family business, or, she will be, for the first time, selfish, and put herself first before anything else._

 _The latter is what she chose._

 _"Actually," She pursed her lips in a flat line for a moment, feeling the nervousness set in. But, it was dispelled when Katarina's face appeared in her mind, green eyes looking to her cerulean ones. "I do have something to say."_

 _Sierra leaned back onto the couch and crossed her arms, wordlessly telling, no, daring her to continue with her words._

 _And continue she did._

 _"You can control me, you can make me dress and act like a man, you can limit my freedom...-!"_

 _"But?" Sierra asked 'casually'._

 _"I won't let you keep me away from Katarina."_

 _Her stepmother stared at her for a brief and silent moment before standing up, walking around the coffee table and standing just a step or two away from her._

 _"Watch me."_

 ** _SLAP!_**

 _Ashe crashed onto the coffee table, her right elbow being the first to make physical contact with the glass top. The clear glass cracked slightly under her elbow, and the surge of pain that abruptly flowed into her right arm proved that her elbow absorbed most of the painful impact._

 _"I knew my suspicions were correct." Sierra said, looking down on her fallen 'son'. "That little rebel is not just a mere friend, is she?"_

 _Ashe clenched her teeth in pain, but managed to utter a hardened reply. "No, she's not."_

 _"So, you've fallen in love with that girl, yet you did not think of even telling me until now?"_

 _"I didn't think it was something you'd see any relevance in." She replied with a touch of sarcasm in her tone._

 _"And it seems to me that you have come to mimic her rude manners."_

 _Sierra leaned down and grabbed the front of her shirt's collar. Gripping the cloth tightly, she was roughly yanked up a bit, her stepmother's face inches away from hers._

 _"Listen here, child. One word." Sierra raised one finger up. "One word is all I need for all the investors to pull away from Freljord Corporation."_

 _"And what about the money?" Ashe questioned boldly. "Don't you live for the wealth, Sierra?"_

 _..._

 _..._

 _Ashe was roughly shoved down the floor, and she instantly knew that her back would be quite sore later on due to the hard impact on the cold marble surface. Sierra stood straight and looked down on her with a glare she had always feared when she was a young child._

 _"I will absorb all the inheritance and such if that ever happens. I will make sure you and your father have nothing left when I finish."_

 _Ashe looked down to the floor, her resolve suddenly crumbling to the dust. One minute she was so confident and brave in defying Sierra, the next? No, that was all gone in a flash. The defiance inside of her just vanished into thin air, not even leaving a single tiny piece of will to fight with what she wants._

 _Her fists clenched as she held back the tears that threatened to show and fall._

 _She knows that her father, who has only a few months left to live, currently requires a high maintenance in his health and body, which are quite costly. If Sierra does manage to do what she had just guaranteed a second ago, then that means her father will be stripped of the funds that's presently prolonging his time in the living world. Sierra may not know about the heart condition Alkove has, but if she were to know now, then that will only give her a much powerful upper hand._

 _From her knowledge, only her, Katarina, Braum and their family doctor knows about the heart condition, and she intends to keep it that way. Sierra just assumed that Ashe and her father are just afraid of being rid of their status and riches, but the truth hides beneath all that._

 _"Choose now, Ashe." Sierra smugly said. "Your wealth, or your useless little girlfriend?"_

 _Ashe covered her eyes with a hand as she started crying into it, her tears seeping out through the thin gaps of her fingers. Her cracked sobs practically echoed throughout the whole wide living room, and she could feel the smug and triumph aura her stepmother emitted. Raising her gaze upward, she looked at her stepmother with clear drops still pouring from her eyes._

 _"Please... Don't make me choose..."_

 _"Not so tough now, are you?" Sierra leaned down and held her chin with her fingers. "This is reality, Ashe. Make a decision."_

 _Ashe weakly shook her head. "No, no, no... Please! Don't make choose!"_

 _"You have to choose, darling." Sierra cooed. "Everything is in your hands. All you need to do... is decide."_

 _She lowered her head and shook her head. She attempted to stand up, but Sierra forced her back down the floor with another hand. Ashe ended up kneeling on the floor painfully before she just sat on her legs without much of a choice._

 _"Your **wealth** , or your **girl**?" Sierra questioned again, putting emphasis on those two specific words._

 _Ashe, with hands perched on her knees, continued to shake her head, answering back in broken sobs. "No... Please... Please... I don't want to choose..."_

 _"The clock is ticking, my dear. You need to make your decision. **Now**."_

 _As tears blurred her line of vision, her memories with Katarina flashed in her mind, replacing the blur with a swirl of their moments together._

 _From a cold and loveless arrangement to a comforting and passionate relationship._

 _Her pale hands on her lap clenched like her teeth as she recalled her first kiss with Katarina at the wedding booth. After that, the most recent kiss they shared, the time when Katarina had completely opened herself to her, came and occupied her mind._

 _Ashe sobbed and cried loudly, shedding more tears in each passing second. The promises she had made, she knew she won't be able to keep them anymore._

 _"Katarina!" She called out desperately. "I love you! I always have and I'll always will! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I won't be able to keep my promises! I'm sorry!"_

 _Ashe bent down until her forehead touched the cold floor, her clenched fists on either sides of her head._

 _"I will never forget about you..." She whispered quietly, but of course, it reached Sierra's ears. "I love you..."_

 _"Oh, how cute." Sierra commented sarcastically. The older woman leaned down once again, grabbed a handful of Ashe's hair and pulled her up, forcing her to look up and into her stepmother's, once again, smirking face. "I assume you've made your decision."_

 _"Please..." Ashe breathed out. "At least... At least let me say goodbye to her... After that, I won't ever fight you again... I-I promise...-!"_

 _"You promise?" Sierra sardonically laughed. "Like I'd believe your promises."_

 _"Please... I...-!"_

 _"You can't even keep your promises to your worthless girlfriend."_

 _"Just let me say goodbye..."_

 _"No."_

 _"Please..." Ashe pleaded, eyeing her cellphone, which is on the top of the now cracked coffee table. "Just... let me..."_

 _Sierra followed her gaze, and the smirk on her face grew. Before Ashe could even lift her hand to get the gadget, the older woman snatched it from the table with her free hand and held it away from Ashe._

 _"If I say no, then it's a no, darling."_

 _Ashe's tears didn't halt. In fact, it felt like more came and fell as she gazed at her step-parent pleadingly._

 _"If I have to grovel, I will..." Ashe whispered. "Just let me say goodbye to her... That's all I ask..."_

 _Sierra's expression changed and it was obvious that she thought about Ashe's offer of literally begging to acquire her phone to say her farewell to Katarina, but it didn't take long before the smirk returned._

 _"No. And that, my dear, is my final answer."_

Sierra had left her at the living room that night, taking her only way of contact to Katarina. She attempted to leave the family mansion to go to Katarina to personally say goodbye, but a new butler Sierra had hired was strictly ordered to not let her exit the house without permission from the woman herself. She tried pleading to the butler to let her out, but the man would have none of it.

A whole day passed with nothing happening but her heart breaking and being agonizingly torn into millions of pieces. The following day, Sierra nearly physically whipped her just to get her to move and fix herself up, since her fiancée was on the way to see and meet her for the first time.

When she first met Ahri, the other female was completely happy that she is going to get married to a handsome _'man'_. She doesn't know how Sierra plans to still keep her secret with the honeymoon that will follow after the wedding, but she found herself not caring about the future anymore.

After all, it's not the future she had envisioned for herself and Katarina.

"Master Ashe," The new butler called from the archway of the living room. "Miss Ahri is here to see you."

"Let her in." She murmured, not taking her eyes off the burning wood in the fireplace.

"Certainly."

The first thing she heard was the clicking and clacking of heels echoing with each and every step. The owner of those said heels perched onto the armrest at her right before a pair of smooth arms wound around her from behind.

"How's my charming fiancée doing?"

She didn't want to reply, honestly. But, she spotted Sierra's reflection from a nearby mirror, showing the woman standing at the archway and watching their exchange with a scrutinizing look.

Ashe closed her eyes for a moment and straightened herself mentally, opening them when she was ready. As soon as her eyelids parted open, she spun around, pulled Ahri onto her lap and offered a perfectly convincing smile that could probably fool anyone in Runeterra.

"Terrific."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Marcus sighed as he walked into the Du Couteau estate. He handed his hat and jacket to a maid that was waiting for him at the doorway. But, before the maid could leave with those two things, he took the invitation from inside one of the inside pockets of his jacket.

Walking into the living room, he sat down on one of the couches and looked at the wedding invitation in his hands. His eyes skimmed over the gold letters of Ashe and Ahri's full names before he rubbed his face with a hand, completely stressed out.

He had thought he would finally be able to see Katarina smile again, look happy and content with her life. Unfortunately, reality and destiny decided that isn't going to happen anytime soon. Running a hand through his hair, he can't seem to relax his tensed and stressed body. Not with all the worrying and thinking he has been recently doing.

"General,"

Looking towards the direction of the speaker and intruder of his solitude, he found a maid standing at the entryway of the living room.

"What is it?"

"There's someone on the phone for you."

"Who?"

"He went by the name General Lightshield."

Marcus sighed deeply, standing up and leaving the invitation on the coffee table at the center of the living room as he walked past it. He exited the living room and went down a hall where the telephone is, the maid walking alongside him.

"Has Katarina come out of her room yet?"

The maid shook her head. "Not yet, General. But, Miss Cassiopeia and Master Talon are attempting to convince her otherwise."

"Hmm."

He should have expected his daughter would be too devastated to think about anything else. In his thoughts, he decided to bring at least a fruit for Katarina to consume before she starves herself to the point of being forced to be put at a hospital to recuperate.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina stared at Ashe's jacket, which is currently in her hands. She's still at her bedroom and is presently standing directly in front of the room's door.

"Katarina, please," Came Cassiopeia's voice from the other side of the door. "You need to eat at least a nibble of something."

"What you're doing won't bring her here, Katarina." Talon stated through the door.

His words stung her greatly, but she knew that it's the truth. Ashe did tell her that she was nothing to her, even told her to leave her alone. Katarina also sent her own _'threat'_ to Ashe, telling the other that she hates her and to never show herself again.

But, in truth, Katarina still dearly loves Ashe, and she desperately craves to see her again.

She doesn't know what she'll refer to Ashe anymore. A friend? Her girlfriend? Her ex-girlfriend?

Katarina was leaning on nothing. Ashe isn't hers anymore.

Yet why is she still Ashe's?

Despite the lack of knowledge Ashe has about it, Katarina couldn't picture herself with anyone else in the future. Every time she would try to imagine her future, it always involved Ashe, which then reminded her that Ashe has replaced her already.

They may be officially broken up, but Katarina still couldn't retrieve her heart from Ashe's clutches. A heart that she didn't know she would ever have possessed and given to someone else. Until now, her heart remains in Ashe's cold yet soft hands, in pieces, but still, it remains there.

Just by that thought, Katarina gripped the jacket tightly before she suddenly swung the door open, pushing Cassiopeia and Talon back. The two stumbled for a moment but recovered immediately, quickly following and catching up to her as she made her way down the hall.

"Katarina,"

"Katarina, stop."

She ignored her siblings. It was a chilly night, and every time nightfall came and the breeze is chilling, either a maid or a butler would always make sure the fireplace at the living room is lit. As a resident there, she knows.

Knows what, you ask?

She knows that this is her opportunity.

Katarina climbed down the stairs, Ashe's jacket clutched tightly with one hand. Her two siblings kept trailing after her, not letting her leave them behind.

"Katarina, what are you going to do?" Cassiopeia questioned her as they entered the living room.

Her emerald green eyes focused on the calm flames residing at the fireplace, her nails digging into the fabric of the jean jacket she held. The calm fire contradicted with the blazing one she had felt inside of her, the fire that scorched her whenever she thought of that unnamed stranger kissing Ashe.

"Katarina!" Cassiopeia called out again. "What are you planning?"

Once she was a meter or two away from the fireplace, Katarina pulled her arm back slightly and aimed at the fireplace.

"To burn this piece of shit!"

Katarina threw the jacket...!

Talon lunged forward and passed her, grabbing the clothing before any part of it could touch the fire. He spun around and narrowed his eyes at her, while Cassiopeia practically yanked her elbow to spin her around and face her.

"What the fuck was that, Kata!?"

"You stay out of this, Cass! This has nothing to do with you!" She snarled at her sister before turning to her brother. "Now give me that little shit and let me burn it!"

"No, Katarina," Talon answered. "You will only regret it."

"Fuck regrets! Give it to me, now!"

"No."

"Damn it, Talon! Give it to me!"

"Sorry, Katarina, but I won't."

"Fucking he...-!"

Before she could finish, Cassiopeia grabbed her again and forced her to turn around. As soon as she did though...

 _ **Slap!**_

It wasn't a strong slap, Cassiopeia made sure of it, but it was enough to stop Katarina's outburst of negative emotions. Her head was facing the side to where Cassiopeia had made it turn to when she slapped her.

"Stop fooling yourself, Katarina." Cassiopeia told her in a serious tone. "Once you burn that so called ' _piece of shit'_ , you're just going to cry your eyeballs out afterwards. Especially when you realize that you just carelessly burned the last thing Ashe had left for you."

"Katarina," Talon's voice sounded closer, and she assumed he now stood behind her. "If you really want to burn this jacket..."

She felt her brother drape it over her shoulder steadily.

"Then go ahead."

"But don't you _dare_ regret it." Cassiopeia harshly stated with a hard look.

As the warmth the jacket offered engulfed her upper body, she wrapped her arms around herself and fell down the floor, clinging to the dark blue fabric of the clothing.

"I can't..." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. "I just can't..."

Cassiopeia and Talon joined her on the floor, her sister placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Every time I close my eyes... I see her. Every time I sleep... I see her."

Her siblings remained silent, letting her vent and voice out her feelings and emotions freely and without restraints whatsoever. She needed this, to finally vocalize everything she felt. Years are more than enough to keep her feelings bottled up. Now, the bottle is full, and it needs to be emptied.

"She texted me... She told me that I was nothing to her. Broke up with me through text. It felt... awful. I answered back... Told her that I hate her. I even warned her not to show herself again. But..." Her arms loosened around herself and she looked down to the bracelet she's currently wearing. She stroked one of the small blue stones with a trembling finger. "I lied... All I want now is to see her. To tell her that I love her. Despite the fact that I was nothing to her."

Cassiopeia rubbed her back with a hand, trying to soothe her.

"Katarina..."

"If I were given the chance to beg for her to come back to me, to recreate our relationship, then... I will." Katarina whispered out. "Just to have her back in my arms, I will..."

She then weakly laughed, sarcasm in her said laugh. "To think a Du Couteau never grovels... Here I am, prepared to do just that."

A moment of silence passed and her brother and sister helped her up to her feet as soon as she tried to stand up by herself.

"Thank you." She murmured, lightly gripping the jacket wrapped around her with her hands.

"For slapping sense into you? Anytime." Cassiopeia tried lightening her mood with a small joke.

"We're family, Katarina." Talon stated. "Family comes first before anything else."

"Come on," Cassiopeia nodded her head to the direction of the kitchen. "Let's get you something to eat."

It was _that_ close.

They had almost achieved a departure with no more dramas or bursts of feelings...

But, then, while they were maneuvering around the coffee table, Katarina's eyes, which was casted downward, spotted the elegantly designed invitation on top of it. She halted her steps as soon as her eyes spotted Ashe's name on it.

"What's this?" She asked in general as she eyed the flat object.

"What's what?" Cassiopeia asked, clueless to what Katarina currently stared at.

Reaching down, Katarina took the white invitation and read the words and letters printed on it. As her eyes read and passed every single syllable the words possessed after the two names mentioned above, the shards of her shattered heart pierced her hollow chest like sharp knives made to kill.

"Katarina?" Cassiopeia asked, not knowing what she's reading.

When she finished, the hand holding the invitation fell to the side and her eyes looked completely in a daze. Beside her, she felt Talon gently pry her fingers off the card before reading its contents itself.

 _'It is happening... It's actually happening...'_ She still stared blankly. _'She's... She's getting married.'_

Talon finished reading and now looked at her with a sympathetic gleam in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"What? What is it?" The still clueless Cassiopeia asked, now looking confused.

Talon held back a sigh. "Ashe is getting married."

Katarina sarcastically smiled as tears ran down her face and stained it once again.

"And we're fucking invited."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _This story will be at least 30 chapters in total, soooo! We're almost close to the end. ^_^_

 **Fun fact about meh** : _I was once a major Kat×Garen shipper. That was, until, I found **Wounded** by **NyokaKione**. After I read that story and found some other Kat×Ashe stories and images, I became a proud and solid Kat×Ashe fan and never wanted to read another story of Kat×Garen fanfic! :P They're the first Yuri pairing I've shipped in my sixteen years of living, to be honest, and I'm not planning on stopping now._

 _Even my cellphone's wallpaper is Ashe using her mouth to share a pocky stick with a blushing Katarina. (They look really cute in the pic! Just sayin' xD)_


	27. Chapter 27

**ACT 27**

The bedroom was silent. The sunlight shined into the room, which provided a bright illuminant light inside. Ashe was already awake before the sun could shine directly onto her face and wake her up. She had just finished unpacking her things and had already stored her clothes in its rightful places. Yesterday, Sierra had sent a few maids and butlers from the house staff to retrieve her things at her apartment, since no plans of her going back to that place is in store for her future.

She's been having sleepless nights lately. It's been like this ever since she and Katarina were forced to be parted without any proper goodbyes to each other, and it murdered her from the inside. Every morning, when she wakes up from her troubled sleep, she would always gaze out of the window and whisper a good morning to Katarina, who she knows would not hear her low greeting.

She didn't dare imagine what Katarina is possibly feeling right now.

The image of Katarina crying because of her, it made her chest ache painfully. It's one of the sole reason why she couldn't just sleep. How dare she sleep while Katarina is out there, probably weeping. She found half of herself silently wishing she shouldn't have met Katarina from the beginning.

 _'If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't have hurt her like I have now.'_

She may not know how Katarina reacted to her sudden 'disappearance', but she's sure that she has hurt her in more ways than one.

The other half of herself wished that hers and Katarina's love story progressed farther than it has. Ashe blamed herself yet again.

 _'If only, Katarina... If only...'_

 ** _Clink!_**

Ashe, who is currently sitting on a sofa right now, looked around for a moment, checking if there's someone in the room with her.

No one.

She returned to her thoughts and looked down to the promise ring she had obtained from hers and Katarina _'wedding'_. Oh, the irony of it all. Here she was, engaged to someone she hasn't even known for a whole week. It almost made her want to laug...-!

 ** _Clink!_**

Ashe scanned the room again, searching for the origin of the clinking sound. It sounded as if an object, something small maybe, had lightly collided with a glass.

 ** _Clink!_**

Something captured her attention from the window. She saw something, she knows it. Standing up, she focused her gaze at the window overlooking the left side of their family estate.

...

...

...

Her eyes mildly widened when she spotted a pebble bounce off of the clear glass of the window, making a low but clear sound of...

 ** _Clink!_**

Ashe walked up the window and looked through the glass. Once again, her eyes widened when she saw a pink haired friend of hers she thought she would never see again. Quickly, she unlocked her window and pushed it upward, pushing half of her torso out to peek over the edge.

"What are you doing here!?"

Vi grinned. "Your stupid butler won't let me in. Can you open the door for me?"

"This is considered trespassing!" She replied in a panicked manner, glancing over her shoulder and to the closed door of her bedroom for a moment.

"Not unless you let me in your house, you know."

"I can't let you in."

"What? Why? You do know I had to ask a favor from Jayce and have him track your cellphone's signal just to find you. And now, I have to go out on a date with him to _'repay'_ him."

"Why are you even here?"

"You haven't been coming to school, and the basketball game is tomorrow. We need you in the team, Ashe."

Ashe shook her head. "I'm not a student in the university anymore."

"Yeah, actually, I'm here to also know why you suddenly dropped out."

"Listen, Vi. Sierra has arranged a marriage for me, and right now," She frowned deeply. "I'm no longer in control of my life. The wedding is tomorrow. I know, it's sudden, which is also the reason why I have no more time."

"What!? Tomorrow!?"

"Shh!"

Vi hunched her shoulders and looked around. Once she was sure that no one had heard her abrupt yell, she straightened herself again and returned her attention back to Ashe, saying a quick apology before asking a much calmer question.

"What can I do?" Vi asked, her voice much quieter now. "Do you want me to call the cops or something?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, come on, Ashe," Vi nearly whined. "Don't let her control you."

"She plans on shutting the family company down and take all the money it will leave, and she doesn't plan on sharing the fortune."

"Are you seriously going to choose money here!?" Vi asked, looking a tad bit angered.

"I'm not choosing wealth over anything, Vi!" Ashe hissed, a bit annoyed. "My father has a heart condition, and I need the money to keep him from dying earlier than expected."

Vi's furious look faded and was replaced with a frown.

"He only has a few months left, and if his medical needs disappear now, those few months might shorten to two months, or less."

The pinkette scratched the back of her head as she looked down to her feet, one foot scruffing the dirt.

"What about Katarina?"

Ashe slightly flinched when she heard the redhead's name. If only the odds are in her favor, then maybe she would have already made her journey to Katarina's location.

But, then... she realized that she has been presented an opportunity!

 _'This is my chance!'_

"Vi, I need to ask you a favor."

"Anything." Vi replied instantly.

"Wait there, alright? I need to get something."

"Take your time. I'll even camp out here if you want."

"No need." Ashe gave a small smile. "Just wait for a few minutes."

As soon as Vi gave her a nod, she immediately pulled herself back inside her room. She rushed towards the desk in her room, grabbed a paper and a pen and quickly started writing on the blank sheet.

All the words that she desired to tell Katarina, she made sure to scribble it onto the paper. The whole room was filled with nothing but the sound of the pen scratching against the paper, untold words being written to be given and be read by the person she dearly loves.

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

Ashe snapped her head towards the door as soon as she heard Sierra's voice.

"Ashe? Wake up!"

Ashe quickly folded the letter, rushed to her closet and pulled out her favorite navy blue jersey. As she headed towards the open window, she tucked the jersey in a sloppy fold before looking over her shoulder.

"Vi!" She called out in a hushed manner.

She dropped the letter and the jersey down to Vi, who caught the items with ease before staring back up to her with a curious look and a silent question in her eyes.

"Bring those to Katarina, please. That's all I ask."

"But, what about you?"

"Just go! Sierra's here!"

Vi looked around for a moment before nodding. "See you, Ashe."

Ashe flashed a weak but genuine smile. She could feel her tears wanting to come out and make its appearance, but she knew she has to hold it in.

"Thank you."

The sadness in Vi's eyes were evident and unmistakeable, but the pinkette managed to offer a reassuring grin in return to her.

"Anytime."

With that, Vi ran off, the two objects held securely in her arms. She watched Vi until her friend was out of sight, and a lone tear ran down her cheek.

 _'Katarina...'_

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

Ashe whipped her head back to facing the door, where the impatient knocks were originating. She wiped away the tear with one of her hands before she fast-walked towards her bedroom door. She swung it open and instantly caught the sight of Sierra's glare.

"Took you long enough."

"Sorry," She murmured, looking down to her feet.

"No matter," Sierra waved a hand dismissively. "Ahri will be joining us for breakfast today. I require you to dress charmingly, for you and her will be picking up the wedding dress and your suit at the tailor later on, understood?"

"Yes, mother."

As Sierra turned away and left, she closed the door and placed her back against it. She can't help it and in the end, a smile founds its way to her lips. It may not be a full-blown bright smile, but it was still considered as a smile.

Despite the fact that it was a mere letter she had sent, it's still something.

Right now, for her, something is better than nothing.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina sat near the lit fireplace, while she played with the wedding invitation, which she discovered that her father brought in, with her hands. Ashe's jacket is still draped on her shoulders, providing her more warmth than the fire, in her opinion.

She never did leave her place there as the night passed and the morning had come. Her family had left her there and had expected her to have locked herself back in her room, but they didn't expect her to stay there the whole night.

The three of them are now with her, each and every one of them having their own places in the room. Cassiopeia and Talon occupied the sofa behind her, and her father sat on his armchair across the other two. She could feel their stares focused on her as she toyed with the flat object she held.

"Where did you get it?" Katarina asked in a murmur.

"I visited their family company." Marcus told her. "Her stepmother had arrived during mine and her father's conversation. She was the one who had given me the invitation."

The dark rims under her eyes served as proof of her sleepless self. She didn't sleep even sleep a wink throughout the night. All she did was either stare at the fire or play with invitation.

"Katarina," She heard Cassiopeia call softly. "Not only you need to eat, but you need to sleep."

"Torturing yourself is not the answer." Talon added.

"Are we going to the wedding?"

"The wedding is tomorrow," Marcus pointed out. "Are you sure?"

"Hey," Cassiopeia kneeled beside her and placed a hand on one of her shoulders. "You don't have to rush yourself. If you want closure, then you'll get it. But, you don't have to force yourself to have it now. We know you love her, but I'm sure you know that you can do nothing to stop this, right?"

Her sister's words were quite harsh, but once again, her sibling speaks the truth. It's a known fact, but she could care less at the moment.

"What do you want me to do, Cass?" She asked her sister as she turned her head and looked directly into the other female's eyes. "Just sit here and wallow in my self-pity?"

"Kata...-!"

"I know," She growled. "I know that I was nothing to her, and...-!"

"Nothing to her?" Marcus interjected, eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

She never did tell her father about the 'conversation' she had with Ashe through texting. It never really occurred to her to tell him, since she was too distracted. Her mind is a chaotic mess right now, and she can't seem to think properly lately due to what had happened from the past few days.

"The other night, I messaged her. Long story short, she told me that she's going to get married to someone better than me and that I was nothing to her. She even told me she never loved me in the first place."

"..."

Katarina chuckled sarcastically. "I'm a pitiful and pathetic person, aren't I, father? The person I love had already told me she doesn't love me, yet I still yearn for her."

...

...

...

"Bullshit."

Cassiopeia and Talon snapped their gazes to Marcus. They've never heard their father curse in all their life. Even Katarina, who's as depress as a person can be, directed her attention to her father in surprise.

"Do you actually believe that it was her that had sent those messages?"

"It was from her phone number." She replied, recovering from her surprise in a split-second.

"And you naively believe it was her that composed all of those hateful words?" Marcus crossed his arms and leaned back onto his chair. "I expected more from you, Katarina. I didn't think you'd be fooled easily."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You yourself told us that she is always under that vile woman's influence. Didn't you ever think that it may have been Sierra who had ordered Ashe to send those messages? Or possibly it was Sierra herself who had made those texts?"

"I can't just assume." She reasoned. "Look at what assuming has gotten me to. I assumed that Ashe loves me, I assumed we would spend our future together, but look! Where is she? Where am I?"

As much as Katarina wanted to believe her father's theory, she was too afraid of believing it. In the past, she might have believed it in a heartbeat, but with all the things that had happend, all the words that were exchanged, it was too difficult for her hear to believe and become hopeful again. It's already crushed to pieces, so why else would she rub salt in her wounds?

But, a small spark...

Yes, a small spark of hope, deep inside of her, flickered. It felt as if it was trying to convince her to trust her father's words of assumption. Its convincing was weak, and she didn't know if she should even give it the time of day.

In the end, she did.

"Give me a sign." She said to the strict general. "Give me a single fucking sign, and I'll believe what you think."

Her siblings looked between her and their father as they engaged into an intense eye contact. She and the said man stared into each other's eyes, her gaze filled with desperation and sadness while her father's showed no emotion whatsoever.

...

...

...

...

...

...

 _ **Ding! Dong!**_

The intense staring contest was broken when all of them turned to the entrance of the living room, where they heard the front door open and a maid's protests in letting the unknown visitor in.

"Excuse me! What is your purpose here?" They heard the maid question the visitor, while dozens of footsteps came and sounded.

"Where's Kata? I need to see her." Came a familiar voice.

"I'm sorry, but General Du Couteau left strict and specific orders in...-!"

"Katarina!" The visitor called, cutting off the maid. "Where are you, Kata?"

One, two, three...!

Vi entered the living room, the maid behind her looking quite frazzled and panicked. Katarina glared at Vi reflexively, while the pinkette caught her gaze.

"Oh, you're here!"

The maid looked scared. "My sincerest apologies! She wouldn't...-!"

"Leave us." Marcus interrupted, waving the maid away, who frantically nodded, bowed and left the room without another room.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She questioned harshly, still glaring daggers at the person she usually referred to as the 'pink menace'.

"Ashe sent me here."

In a blink of an eye, Katarina shot off the floor, the invitation forgotten on the ground. Eyes widened in disbelief, she stared at Vi with her glare vanishing in the process.

"What? Ashe sent you? As in, Ashe Avarosa?" She asked, disbelief written all over her face and lacing her words.

"Who else?" Vi stepped towards her and handed the folded jersey in her arms. "She told me to bring these to you."

"These?"

After she accepted the jersey, Vi pulled out a folded paper from inside her jacket and handed it to her as well.

"Yep, these."

Cassiopeia left her perch on the floor and focused her gaze at Vi. "You found Ashe?"

"She's in some sort of house arrest in her own mansion. Courtesy of her stupid stepmother, obviously."

While Vi and Cassiopeia conversed, Katarina tucked the jersey under her arm before she unfolded the paper, which she carefully read the contents of it.

 **Katarina,**

 _I'm really sorry. I don't know what to say for you to forgive me for just disappearing without a single notice. I know I promised various things to you, promises I told you I would keep, but I don't know if I'll be able to do what I truly intended from the very start._

 _I want you to know that I regret nothing when it comes to you. I don't regret having you as my first kiss. And I surely do not regret that you're my first lover. Believe me when I say, I may not be with you, but my heart will forever stay with you. Know that you're always be the only one for me, and I sincerely hope that I'm the only one for you._

 _This jersey is a favorite item of mine, and I want you to have it. It's nothing extraordinary, but I hope it will be able to fulfill the role of my arms that I want to hold you with. Just like the jacket I left for you._

 _Thank you for everything._

 _I won't tell you I love you here in this letter, because you deserve more than just scribbled letters._

 _I hope one day I will be able to tell you personally what I feel for you._

 **Ashe**

She stared at the letter for a moment before dropping onto the sofa and at the space beside Talon, which where Cassiopeia was sitting at earlier.

"Katarina?" Talon murmured from beside her.

"What does the letter say?" Marcus inquired from across them, while the other two females silenced themselves and were now looking at her expectantly.

Part by part, Katarina refolded the letter until it was back to its messily folded state earlier. She held the smooth custom-made jersey against her chest, a smile gracing her lips, despite the fact that tears had began falling from her eyes.

Tears of joy? Probably.

Tears of sadness? Probably.

"Katarina?" This time, it was Vi who called her name.

She raised her head and met her father's eyes.

"It's the sign."

Marcus raised an eyebrow at her, while she averted her gaze from him and locked it to the invitation on the floor. She leaned forward then downward, taking the invitation from the floor.

"Umm, Kata...-!"

"I want to go to the wedding."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe stood beside Ahri, who currently sat on a white armchair, while they both waited for the tailor to come out from the back room with their pre-made wedding attires. She looked around and examined the wedding dresses in display, entertaining herself.

"You never smile."

Her head lowered and focused onto her fiancée, who had just spoke.

"Hmm?"

"You never smile." Ahri repeated, pouting. "Why?"

"What do you mean? I always smile when I see you." She then smiled at her. "See?"

"That's a fake smile."

Just like that, her smile vanished. She didn't bother denying or making up excuses. She's been already caught, so why bother doing something useless?

"I know."

Ahri frowned. "You're not happy with our marriage, are you?"

 _'Lie, Ashe. Lie to her.'_ A voice told her inside her head. It almost sounded like Sierra.

"No, I'm not."

 _'Why aren't you lying!? Do you want Sierra to know about this!?'_

"I guess it isn't really fun being arranged to marry someone you hardly know." Ahri told her before she suddenly looked up and met her own eyes. "Do have someone else already?"

Instead of answering the question, she turned away and avoided Ahri's curious gaze. Of course her action was interpreted correctly by her blue-eyed fiancée.

"You do."

Ashe closed her eyes and sighed, trying to ignore the stinging pain in her chest. "I do."

"Then, why?"

"Why what?" She asked, still keeping her eyes closed.

"Why aren't you fighting for her?"

"I tried."

"It seems to me you haven't given it your all." Ahri said, not believing her.

"I'm... in a bind."

"And what bind is that?"

She opened her eyes and gazed at Ahri, auditing the raven haired female. She felt hesitant, scared of having Sierra know about Ahri discovering the truth about her. But, something about Ahri told her that she could trust the other.

"I won't tell Sierra." Ahri, who noticed her unwillingness, suddenly reassured. "I promise."

 _'Don't you dare tell her anything, Ashe. Stop now, while you still can.'_

Taking a deep breath and ignoring her scolding thoughts, she decided to tell the truth to her fiancée.

"If I don't marry you, Sierra will take everything. The company, the estate, the money, everything."

"So, you're choosing wealth over love?"

"No," She shook her head. "I'm choosing love over love."

Ahri's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, not really knowing what she meant with her rather puzzling reply.

"My father has a heart condition."

She felt a hand touch her arm, and when she looked down, she found Ahri's hand.

"Say no more." Ahri said in a soft tone.

They were engulfed by silence for a moment, and she may not have noticed it, but Ahri seemed to be thinking and pondering about something. The silence came to an end when Ahri gazed up and met her own eyes once more.

"I can help you with the medical maintenance for your father. I have a friend named Soraka. She's a doctor, and currently, she owes me quite a huge favor."

"Are you saying...?"

Ahri nodded. "I can ask her to take care of your father's medical needs, no money required."

"Ahri, I can't ask that from you." She said in a serious manner. "You barely know me."

"I want to help. I've been in rough situations myself, and it was hard for me too. No one was there to help me. Well, except for my ex-girlfriend..."

Ashe's eyes slightly widened in surprise, while Ahri blushed and suddenly looked panicked.

"Oh, umm, I mean, ex-boyfriend!" Ahri began laughing nervously, while she started sputtering out random excuses and such.

"Ahri," She placed a hand on Ahri's shoulder, which halted the flow of excuses. "It's alright. If you're interested in the same gender as you, there's certainly nothing wrong with it. What's important is that you love the person."

Ahri gazed at her for a moment before sighing.

"I guess you are right about that."

...

...

...

"You know, it's not too late." Ahri spoke up, breaking the silence yet again. "You can still back away from this."

"What about...-!"

"I told you, I'll have Soraka take care of your father. You can even come live with me until you get back on your own two feet."

"Ahri, this is too much. I'm sure you know that."

"I'm applying the saying 'don't do to others the things you don't want others to do to you' in this situation. If I were the one in your place, I would accept all the help I could get."

"But...-!"

"Ashe," Ahri cut of again. "I may not know what you've gone through in the past, but I'm sure you've made your fair share of sacrifices. You're too selfless."

Ashe lowered her head, knowing what her fiancée is telling her is the truth.

"Just this moment, Ashe, be selfish."

She had to decide once again. Accept Ahri's offer and hope that Soraka can take care of her father OR she continues with Sierra's order, which is a decision where her father's well-being is guaranteed to be well-cared for.

...

...

...

...

...

...

"I'll think about it."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Marcus sat at the backseat of the car, waiting to arrive at the Institute of War. He decided to leave the house for work in a later time because he was too worried for Katarina's state. He may not know what was written in it, but the letter Vi had brought to Katarina from Ashe caused a great change in his daughter. Katarina finally decided to eat and clean up after herself.

When he had left the estate, Katarina had finally succumbed to her body's call for slumber and fell asleep in her bedroom. Cassiopeia and Talon had also left the estate, but they weren't planning on going to school. The two siblings planned on looking for attires to wear for the wedding.

 ** _Buzz! Buzz!_**

Marcus looked down as he pulled out his cellphone from his pocket, which kept vibrating. Checking the screen, he was internally and slightly surprised. He answered the call and placed the phone against his right ear.

"Du Couteau speaking."

"General Du Couteau," The caller spoke, sounding like he was a bit breathless. "May I ask a favor from you?"

"It depends."

"I know you owe me nothing and I...-!" The caller coughed for one or two times before continuing.

"I am probably no one to you, so I... I understand if you don't do this favor I'm about to ask." Again, the caller coughed.

"Tell me."

The caller released a series of ragged breaths and strangled coughs before managing to say a reply.

"Take care of my daughter."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe leaned on the steering wheel of her car and perched her arms on it, laying her forehead on top. Two cars had bumped into each other and the drivers of the said car has yet to resolve their dispute in who's paying the damages.

Ahri clicked her tongue from the front passenger seat, leaning back and crossing her arms and legs as they both surveyed the minor car accident a few meters away from their vehicle.

"Don't they know they're causing an inconvenience?"

She sighed. "I don't really know if they're even planning on moving away from the intersection."

Ever since she and Ahri opened up a bit about their pasts and present problems, the two of them had gotten more comfortable with each other. No more fake masks and acts conspired between them whenever they conversed and interacted.

But, right now, she felt a tad bit uncomfortable. Not because of Ahri though. Her stomach currently churned for no reason whatsoever, and she tried her best to ignore it and relax herself.

"Well, it looks like we'll be here for quite a long while, so," Ahri turned her attention to her. "Can you tell me more about this Katarina you speak of?"

"Curious?" She asked, not succeeding in banishing the internal uncomfortable feeling she currently felt.

"Mm-hm."

"Well..."

 ** _Buzz! Buzz!_**

"Oh, excuse me," Ahri pulled out her phone. "It seems to be an unknown number."

"Are you planning on...-!" Before she could even finish, Ahri had already answered the call.

"Hello, who's this?"

Exactly three seconds passed before Ahri turned to her and offered her the gadget, which caused her to look at the other female with a confused look.

"It's a butler from your house. I think his name is Brad? Or is it Brandon? You know, the one that usually refers to himself in third person."

"You mean Braum?"

"Ah, yes, him." Ahri nodded, while Ashe accepted the phone. "I wonder how he obtained my number."

Ashe left Ahri to ponder about her curiosity as she placed the speaker of the phone against her ear.

"Braum?"

"Afternoon, Miss Ashe."

"Is there something the matter there at the estate?"

Braum became silent from the other line, and Ashe actually thought for a moment that the call was cut off. But then, the older man suddenly spoke up.

"Master Alkove..."

"What about my father? Is he alright?"

"Braum sincerely apologizes, Miss Ashe, but... Master Alkove is gone."

"Gone?"

Her eyes widened while her breath hitched, throat tightening.

"What do you mean gone?" She asked nervously, her hands beginning to shake lightly.

It took another moment of hesitance from the chief of their household staff, but the answer she dreaded was soon heard.

"Master Alkove has passed away."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Anyone here knows how to draw? If so, PUH-LEAZE! Draw some Kat×Ashe art! TT_TT_

 _Not a lot of people draw art for these two. (~_~)_

 _It's always Garen x Kat! (No offense to GarenxKat shippers, by the way)_


	28. Chapter 28

**ACT 28**

Whenever people spoke about weddings, they usually describe it as a day filled with jovial laughter and love between the gathered families, especially the newlyweds. Relatives conversing about their lives and discussing various matters about relevant topics and such.

It's Ashe's wedding day.

She stared at herself in front of a full-body mirror, her hands moving, almost robotically, as she arranged her black bow tie.

 _'It's my wedding.'_

Ashe dusted her arms and shoulders.

 _'It's my wedding.'_

She checked if there were any stains or dirt on her shiny new shoes.

 _'It's my wedding.'_

Raising her head, she looked at herself once again at the mirror.

 _'Yet...'_

Her eyes audited the curve on her lips that reflected back to her.

 _'Why do I frown?'_

She looked towards her right and found a mannequin wearing the tailored suit her father is suppose to wear today. Approaching it, she took her time as she fixed its bow tie. She couldn't cry anymore. It's as if her tears had suddenly ran out. Either that, or her eyes were tired of exhausting any effort in producing any of it.

The whole night yesterday, she cried. She cried, and cried, and cried.

She had broken down in her car as soon as she was informed of her father's unexpected heart attack, which is the sole cause of his death. Ahri had to take over the role of being the driver just to get them home that time.

Ashe did nothing but cry.

It's as if life was being completely and utterly unfair to her.

At first, she was and is still being forced to be someone she isn't.

Second, she finally met the person she truly loves, only to be separated from said person.

And last and definitely her _'favorite'_ , her father died at the day before her wedding.

Oh, how Ashe just wanted to close her eyes and never wake up. That, and she wanted to just scream her voice out until she could do said deed no more.

Was she not meant to experience a life with happiness?

Is she forbidden to be loved and to love in return?

Her forever cruel stepmother practically brushed off Alkove's death. She even had the nerve to just have Alkove buried today. As in, as she stood there in her bedroom, at Valoran Cemetery, her father's body is being buried six feet under the ground. Ashe wanted to be there as the workers lowered her father's coffin, but once again, she was denied.

Ashe wanted to be angry, to be furious at Sierra, but she found herself absolutely drained. Everything inside of her, everything she felt, has been already taken and destroyed by her _'wonderful' a_ nd _'loving'_ stepmother. Her whole world spun around her and she couldn't process everything anymore. She didn't bother collecting and rearranging her thoughts.

 _'What else am I fighting for? Why else should I even rebel?'_

Ashe stepped away from the mannequin and smoothened its front. Her gaze audited the mannequin's state before it trailed towards the nearby table at her right, where a wedding invitation is placed. She grabbed the wedding invitation, reading the name of her bride more than three times.

 _'No matter how much you read it,'_ She heard her own voice speak in her thoughts. _'It will never change. It will never be her name.'_

It's times like this is when she wished Katarina was there with her, to reassure her that she is safe, loved and has someone to lean on to. Ashe chuckled bitterly.

 _'You'll never see her again, Ashe. As soon as you get married, the chances of seeing her again will be nonexistent.'_

After placing the invitation back down the table, she looked down to her hand, where gaze wandered to the silver ring around her finger. She raised her hand and gently planted a kiss on the cold accessory.

"Thank you, Katarina."

...

...

...

 _ **Knock! Knock! Knock!**_

Turning around to face the door, she opened her mouth and called out softly. "Come in."

The door swung open after a second and Braum stepped into the room, a concerned expression on his usually smiling face.

"Are you alright, Miss Ashe?" Braum asked, worry hinting in his voice.

"I'm... fine, I guess."

"I would like to offer my condolences. Master Alkove did not deserve to die so early."

She nodded silently.

"Do you not wish to postpone this wedding? If you feel too... troubled, then I'm quite sure the guests will understand."

"No, Braum. It's fine. I'm fine. This," She glanced down to her suit-clad form. "Is fine."

"Miss Ashe..."

She turned away and sat down on the nearest sofa, mumbling her answer. "Everything is fine."

 _'Everything is not fine.'_

Ashe knew that her father would probably be hurting if he was still alive presently, knowing he didn't favor this wedding of hers. But she knew well that her father would have done nothing about it.

Not until she says so, that is.

"If it would be alright, I'd like to be alone for now."

Braum sighed and nodded before he excused himself, leaving the room and Ashe in her own solitude.

...

...

...

 ** _Knock! Knock! Knock!_**

Ashe snapped her head to the door. Apparently, a certain someone doesn't want her to be alone.

"Ashe!" Sierra's voice reached her from outside.

Her gaze remained stuck to the closed door, looking at it blankly.

"The wedding's about to start!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

As soon as she exited their estate and stepped foot on the green grass outside and at the wide garden, she could feel her nerves set in. She's actually there. She's actually going to marry someone she has only known for a few pain-filled and eventful days.

Sierra's eyes brightened visibly when she saw her.

"Ashe!"

Her stepmother rushed to her.

"Mother, I...-!"

"I'm sure whatever you have to say can wait. Right now, the wedding is about to start!" Sierra said excitedly, grabbing one of her wrists and tugging her towards the archway at the end of the aisle.

"Mother, wait...-!"

"Hush now, Ashe. Come with me now, it's about time!"

Ashe audited the area, and she instantly noticed that all the wedding guests were already seated on their own designated seats.

"Umm, mother, I...-!"

"Oh, I can't wait to have Ahri as my daughter-in-law!"

"Mother, wa...-!"

"It'll be wonderful! You're going to get married!"

"Mother...-!"

"Oh, and! You'll...-!"

"Sierra!"

Sierra stopped, the guests' chatter halted and Ashe pulled herself away, stepping back from her stepmother. All the attention is all focused on the mother and the _'son'_.

Her heartbeat started quickening. She can feel it thundering in her chest, threatening to burst. Sierra was giving her a warning look now.

"Ashe, remember," Sierra murmured in an extremely low volume. "The family fortune."

Ashe stared emotionlessly at her as the gears in her mind worked. She has nothing to hold her back now. Her father is already dead. She doesn't need the money anymore. She can make her own decision now.

Stay and be Sierra's perfect _'son'_?

Or leave and...

 _'Look for Katarina.'_ She finished in her thoughts.

But, fear seemed to make its appearance inside of her. The fear of the abuse that may come, the pain it may cause her...

Ashe then noticed Ahri from the side, her fiancée standing at the porch of the backdoor of the estate. Ahri gave her an encouraging nod and smile, wordlessly telling her to make her decision.

That she can finally choose in her own set of choices, not Sierra's.

In addition, Katarina's reassuring smile flashed in her head, and that's what finally gave her the final push to do what she truly wants. Finally, she now has her opportunity to become selfish.

"I'm not going to do this."

Sierra gave her a pointed look as the guests started murmuring to each other.

"Ashe, your voice." Sierra gritted lowly.

"No," She spoke in her normal and feminine voice, adding no such alterations in her vocals. "I won't listen to you anymore."

"Ashe, _don't_." Sierra warned, now glaring at her.

"I'm done being your puppet. If you thought you can control my whole life with a single tug of a string, you're completely wrong."

"What is the meaning of this?" Ahri's mother spoke from her seat, standing as she did.

"It's nothing!" Sierra reassured the woman and the guests with a nervous laugh. "All will be settled and...-!"

"Everyone," Ashe turned to the guests, pulling off her bow tie and tossing it aside. "I'm not the person you think I am."

Sierra whipped her gaze back to her. "Ashe, be quiet!"

"Let Ashe speak, Miss Sierra." Ahri, who now stood at the bottom of the steps of the porch and looking quite beautiful in her grand wedding dress, abruptly joined in into their 'conversation'. She looked towards Ashe and gave another nod.

Using one hand, Ashe opened her blazer and vest before she started undoing the buttons of her white polo. The murmurs and mutters increased, and as soon as Ashe revealed her bandaged chest to the people, gasps and looks of shock were heard and can be seen on the guests' faces.

"I'm no son of hers!"

Sierra looked at her with horror on her face. Ashe turned to her stepmother.

"And I'm most certainly not your daughter."

"How...! How dare you...!"

"I'm the one and only daughter of Alkove and Shiva Avarosa, and I am proud to be myself."

"Don't you dare say another word...-!"

"You can keep the fortune, Sierra. I was never in it for the riches. I merely stayed here and obeyed you for father's sake, and now... He's dead." Ashe closed her eyes for a second or two before opening them again. "I guess I should be glad that he is, because he doesn't have to put up with someone like you anymore."

As soon as she went around the older woman, guests stood and started shouting, mostly at Sierra, who looked quite scared and nervous with the angry looks and yells directed to her. After all, she did guarantee that Ahri would be marrying a man.

Ashe left Sierra from where she stood and approached Ahri, buttoning half of the buttons of her polo in the process. As she stood in front of Ahri, her supposedly bride-to-be, looked at her with a surprised gleam in her eyes.

"I deeply and sincerely apologize for lying to you, Ahri. I should have told you about my true gender from the very beginning." She apologized before continuing. "I also want to thank you."

"For what?" Ahri asked, a bit confused with her thanks.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gathered enough courage to fight back to Sierra."

She shook her head as she chuckled, flashing a small yet understanding smile. "Well, I should have seen it coming. After all, a gentleman as perfect as you would never have had existed. And, you're welcome."

They both conversed as if no verbal quarrel or any civil chaos was happening around them. Of course the surprises kept on coming. Without warning, Ahri grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her in for a sudden kiss. The lips of the sly female was gone as soon as it came.

"What?" Ahri shrugged as soon as she saw her shocked face. "It's just a little kiss. You didn't expect me to not steal at least one, right?"

"Umm, I, uhh..."

Ahri giggled and lightly pushed her to the direction of the backdoor.

"Go."

Ashe was taken away from all the ruckus when Braum began to pull her away and lead her back inside the estate. Last thing she heard was Sierra's panicked voice mixed with the angry guests' own, before the double-doors closed. When she looked at Braum, she found him smiling at her proudly.

"Care to tell Braum what made Miss Ashe stronger?" Braum asked her with a wide smile.

"Ahri did, and well," Ashe blushed. "A certain someone too."

Braum quirked an eyebrow. "And Braum assumes that this certain someone has a name that starts with 'K' and ends with 'A', no?"

She smiled. "Yeah, her."

"Oh, Braum has wedding gift for Miss Ashe!"

Braum reached into his pocket and presented an awfully familiar gadget. Her cellphone. She accepted the 'gift' from Braum, who grinned at her.

"Braum suggests that you make call now."

"Will do, Braum."

Ashe found herself spacing out as she imagined everything that she plans on doing to Katarina as soon as she sees the redhead again. Braum noticed this and started nudging her to the direction of the hall leading to the front door. She gave him a curious and mildly confused look.

"Car is outside, waiting."

"What about the wedding? The guests?"

Braum chuckled and waved her away. "Braum shall do damage control."

"Are you sure?"

"Braum thinks this is time for Miss Ashe to enjoy newfound freedom."

"But, what about... father?"

The bigger man placed a hand on top of her head. "Master Alkove want nothing else but see Miss Ashe happy. Braum is sure of this."

She became a bit teary-eyed as she offered a bright smile and gave Braum a quick hug before she rushed down the hall and headed towards her exit, excitement filling her whole body.

Ashe couldn't wait to see Katarina again.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina resisted the urge to rub her eyes with her two fingers in frustration as she watched their driver check the open hood of their currently smoking car. She, her father and her siblings stood at the sidewalk, while the driver of their vehicle seemed to be looking a little nervous and troubled as he scanned the looked at the engine.

"Of all the times for our car to overheat, why now?" Cassiopeia practically whined, sighing loudly.

"My sincerest apologies, but," The driver stepped back and faced them. "The car needs to be towed and sent to the auto shop for repairs."

"Oh, for the love of...!" Cassiopeia turned away and started whispering profanities under her breath, muttering a few comments about her make-up possibly getting ruined by the sun's heat. Talon kept his calm demeanor, just like their father.

"We'll hail a cab, then." Marcus said.

"Hail a cab? How are we suppose to hail a cab," She then gestured at the unmoving traffic jam in front of them. "When the cars won't even move a single fucking inch!"

Marcus didn't bother scolding her and her sister for their colorful words. He understood their reasons all too well. Instead, he pulled out his phone and made a call, turning away from them as he did. She sighed and made her way towards the nearest bench she found, which is conveniently placed near a large tree that offered a nice and comfortable shade, her two siblings trailing after her.

Their car had broken down just beside Valoran Park, so there were quite a lot of benches scattered around and about. It's a rather unusual sight the three of them are right now.

Talon wore a perfectly striking suit with a dark blue tie, Cassiopeia wore an emerald green flowing dress, and lastly, she herself donned a simple burgundy red mermaid dress that wrapped around her form to the tightest extent, which also showed off her sexy frame to any onlookers that dares to ogle at her.

She sat down on the bench, and her two siblings occupied the remaining space on either side of hers. It took all her self-restraint not to yell and release her anger vocally to the world.

Katarina wanted to see Ashe before the white haired female gets married to some complete stranger. She wants to hear the three words she's been longing to hear ever since she had fallen in love with Ashe.

And unfortunately, their car just had to be some bitch and screw up that opportunity for her.

During the car ride earlier, she could feel her heartbeat getting faster and faster due to the nervousness and the anticipation she had felt. But, as soon as the car overheated and put a halt in their travel, it made her heart somewhat deflate. It returned her heart rate to normal, but now, it threatened to beat wildly again as a different kind of nervousness appeared and disabled her from calming herself down.

 _'What if... What if I'm too late when we get there?' She thought. 'What if she's already married? What if...-!'_

Her _'what if'_ questions were interrupted when she felt something vibrate against her right thigh.

 ** _Buzz! Buzz!_**

She inconspicuously looked around with her eyes for a moment before she slightly lifted the high slit of her dress, revealing the black cellphone case she strapped around her right thigh. The slit of the clothing is, in her opinion, can be considered a possible reason that can make a few old men to enter cardiac arrest. She swiftly took out her vibrating phone and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"What?" She _'greeted'_ in her usual 'fuck off' tone.

"Hello to you too, Katarina."

Her eyes widened and she instantly got off of the bench, looking around, while Cassiopeia and Talon's gazes attached onto her in a blink of an eye.

"Ashe!?"

"I miss you." Ashe murmured from the other line.

"W-Where are you?" She asked, stuttering once due to the excitement that suddenly began filling her whole body.

Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, and she could feel the adrenaline being pumped in her veins just by hearing Ashe's voice through the small speaker of her phone.

"I just exited the house." Ashe informed her, excitement coating the other female's words. "What about you? Where are you?"

"Valoran Park. I'm at Valoran Park." She can't help but become a bit frazzled.

Ashe chuckled from the other line, which caused her heartbeat to quicken more than it already had. She actually felt the difference of its beating speed. It's obvious that she had missed hearing Ashe.

"Wait for me there." She heard Ashe say to her. "I promise, I'll be there. Just wait for me."

Katarina pursed her lips as she made a huge effort in not tearing up at the moment.

"Always."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _He-yo! ^^ How do you readers like the story? We're two chapters away from finally finishing this story! :D_


	29. Chapter 29

**ACT 29**

Katarina looked around her surroundings as if she was being chased by some madman, or possibly looking out for someone who may want to assassinate her. But, truth be told, she was just really really really excited to see Ashe again.

Actually, the letter Ashe had Vi give to her is folded and safely tucked inside the cellphone case she currently has strapped around her thigh. If she were the one who to decide, she would have probably brought the jersey with her. But, Cassiopeia prohibited her from doing so.

She decided to settled in pacing back and forth in front of her seated siblings, the two following her with their own eyes.

"She's coming, she's coming, she's coming..." She chanted over and over again.

"Who's coming?" Cassiopeia inquired in curiosity and confusion.

Only to be ignored.

"She's coming, she's coming, she's coming..."

"You know, if you keep saying that over and over again, people might get the wrong idea and misinterpret those words as something sexual."

"Cass actually has a point." Talon agreed in a murmur.

"No," She stopped pacing and faced her siblings. "You two are just a pair of perverts."

"Says the girl who humped her girlfriend awake." Cassiopeia murmured, snickering behind her hand.

"What was that?" Talon asked, not really catching what their sister just said.

" **NOTHING** important." Katarina cut in before Cassiopeia could utter anything else about THAT moment.

"What are you three conversing about now?" Marcus queried as he approached them, noticing Katarina's blushing face but not bothering on commenting about it.

"Nonsense... and stuff."

'Okay, that was a pretty lame excuse.' She thought to herself, resisting the need to sigh.

"Who were you talking to in the phone earlier?" Her father asked her.

"Her."

"Her?"

"Ashe is coming." Her two siblings chorused.

Marcus quirked an eyebrow. "She is?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "She... told me to wait for her here."

"It looks like you are quite nervous about it."

"Of course not." She denied to her father, waving a hand feebly.

"I doubt that."

She suddenly felt like her siblings and her father had suddenly united because of a common goal, to tease her and fluster her out of her comfort zone. She started a little debate with her siblings, while her father watched her with a ghost of a smile.

Marcus watched as he saw his daughter become like herself again, and he only has one person to thank for that. _'Thank you, Ashe.'_

"Katarina, you're blushing." Talon pointed out in his usual flat tone.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!" Cassiopeia intentionally teased.

The two may not admit it out loud to Katarina, but they enjoyed having the normal her back and out from its depressing shell.

Katarina felt like she was going to blow a vein due to the absolute annoyance her siblings caused her. She intended to continue her childish 'argument' with her siblings when...

 ** _Tug! Tug! Tug!_**

She felt someone pull on one of her fingers. Turning to her right, she found a little girl, holding a teddy bear and a cone of ice cream.

"What?" She asked, her tone snarky but less meaner than the usual.

"Why are you wearing a dress?" The girl asked.

"She's waiting for her prince charming." Cassiopeia answered for her.

"Shut up!" She growled at her sister.

"What does he look like?"

"White hair, blue eyes, pale skin." Talon described to the girl.

"What can't you two understand about 'shut up', huh?" She practically screeched at the two.

"Ooh, you're a princess?"

"Yes." Cassiopeia and Talon chorused.

"Ugh!" Katarina groaned, wanting to strangle the pair at the same time.

"I'll keep a look out for him." The girl said with a smile before she began skipping away.

Katarina was in the middle of turning around to face her siblings again, when...

"Princess!"

Following the origin of the call, she found the girl again, a fair distance away from her, waving her teddy bear up in the air to get her attention. When the little girl noticed that she had captured her attention again, she began to speak again.

"My name's Annie, and this is Tibbers!" She introduced herself and her stuffed toy. "What about you?"

"Katarina!" She called back, replying to the girl's inquiry. If she were her old self, she probably would have been a bitch to the little kid, but ever since she met Ashe, her _'snark level'_ had gone down significantly.

Annie smiled and waved goodbye. "I'll find your prince, Princess Katarina!"

As the girl skipped away, dangling her teddy bear beside her, Katarina finally faced her siblings again. Cassiopeia had a teasing smile on her face, while Talon looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing..." Cassiopeia snickered yet again. "...Princess Katarina."

Talon feigned a cough to cover up his quiet laugh, covering his mouth and clearing his throat to add more coverage.

"I'm going to fucking kill you both."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe had originally planned on taking her car to get to Valoran Park, but she only managed to drive out of the neighborhood. Once she was close to the main road, she parked her car at the side due to the traffic jam ahead of her.

Seeing that using a vehicle is out of her options, she decided to run. Yes, she was still far from her destination, but she could care less. She put all of her energy into her legs as she ran, adrenaline pumping in her veins in each passing second. She huffed and puffed, not stopping for a moment to take a break.

A faint smile can be found on her face with every step she took. She couldn't help it. The thought of seeing Katarina again, it made her heart leap up with joy. As she ran, she felt the presence of her father for a moment before it disappeared. A tear ran down from one of her eyes and she wiped it with her sleeve, releasing a brief and mildly breathless laughter.

"Thank you, father."

With newfound energy, Ashe picked up her running speed, passing countless people that gave her curious looks. She didn't blame them though. After all, it's not like everyday they see some person running down the sidewalk wearing a tuxedo with their top clothing half-unbuttoned.

"Katarina... Wait for me..."

When she caught the sight of Valoran Park, she pumped all the running energy she possessed into her legs and swiftly crossed the road that was filled with cars still stuck in traffic. The park was averagely filled with people, so there weren't too many people for her to look through to find Katarina. She stopped at one of the entrances of the park, planning to scope out Katarina from her location.

But, before she could even start looking around, she felt someone tug at her left sleeve. Looking down, she found a little girl with wide green eyes, which reminded her of a certain redhead, pinkish-red colored hair and a unique brown teddy bear. The little girl also has a chocolate ice cream held with her other hand.

"Hi!" The girl greeted with a smile.

"Oh, umm, hello."

"I'm Annie."

"I'm... I'm Ashe." She introduced back as she steadied her breathing.

"Why are you all tired?" Annie asked her innocently, taking a few licks from her ice cream.

"Oh, uhh..." Adrenaline was starting to leave her system, and she knew that if it were to completely disappear, her whole body would collapse due to the distance she had ran just to get where she is right now. "I'm... I'm looking for... for someone right now."

Annie examined her state of dress and audited her facial features carefully before asking, "Are you the prince?"

"Huh?"

The little girl then pointed down on one of the stone paths marked on the grass and dirt. "There's a princess over there. Maybe she's your princess!"

"Me? Prince? Princess?" She was confused with Annie's words, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask the girl if she had seen a certain someone she came to the park for. "Umm, Annie, have you seen a girl here with red hair? She also has green eyes, like yours, and she has a scar on her left eye and...-!"

"Ooh, ooh! You mean, Princess Katarina?"

 _'Princess Katarina?'_

Despite the mild confusion the title caused her, she nodded her head. Annie pointed at the same stone path she had pointed to earlier, an excited smile on her face.

"I knew it! She's over there! She's waiting for you!"

Ashe gave Annie a tired but thankful smile. "Thank you, Annie."

She went around the little girl and ran down the path, hearing Annie bid goodbye to her over her shoulder.

"Bye, Prince Ashe!"

She internally chuckled at the 'formalities' before she let her mind refocus back to her task in finding her _'princess'_. The thought of calling Katarina a princess almost made her laugh. Those thoughts were disregarded soon enough though, her focus returning back to its original goal.

She ran, and ran, and ran...

And finally...

She found her.

Ashe's run slowed down to a jog until she was walking, a bit unsteadily since her legs were already worn-out and she had already exhausted all her energy, except for a teeny-tiny ounce that's currently keeping her from falling down the ground. Basically, if she were a car, she's running on fumes now.

Katarina's back faced her, and Ashe can't help but admire the tantalizing skin the backless form-fitting red dress displayed for all the world to see. It felt like months had passed ever she had seen Katarina, despite the fact that it's only been a few days.

Her focus was taken away from the beautiful sight before her when her legs were screaming for her attention, telling her to give them a break, for they are nearly on the edge of dying and just turning into jelly. Every step she took as she moved forward, her legs would tremble and threaten to collapse under her, but she still forced herself to continue.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to shout for Katarina's name. Yet, her vocals had other plans. She felt like she had only whispered, but apparently, that so called whisper was enough.

"Katarina..."

With speed that can rival lightning, Katarina spun around, the hem of her mermaid dress flying outward beautifully and elegantly, as she faced her.

Green met blue.

...

...

...

Ashe tiredly smiled.

"Hey..."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

As cheesy and cliché as it sounds, it felt like time had stopped for Katarina as soon as she saw Ashe there, all disheveled and mussed. Regardless of Ashe's messed state, the Avarosa still looked charming and bewitching. If she were asked now, it actually felt and looked like Ashe's alluring level had gone in an all time high.

 _'Is it possible for her to actually be handsome and be beautiful at the same time?'_

 _'Of course it is. This is Ashe we're talking about, you idiot. She's practically the living embodiment of perfection.'_

 _'Can't argue with that.'_

"Ashe!" She practically cried out as soon as her mental conversation with herself was over.

Katarina practically dashed forward, and next thing Ashe knew, she was already in front of her. She, without wasting a precious second, immediately wrapped her hands around Ashe's disarrayed self, tightly holding the other against her.

The scent of peppermint, mixed with Ashe's fragrant-like smell of sweat, hit Katarina's nose like a speeding bullet, and she inhaled it as if it was an irresistible toxin. It completely intoxicated her, that's for sure, and she didn't mind it one bit.

She felt Ashe encircle her arms around her torso, and as soon as she felt one of Ashe's hands touch the bare skin of her back, she sighed, finally, in content. Burying her face in the crook of Ashe's neck, she showered the pale skin with featherlight kisses. She loved the sweet and salty taste she tasted as she kissed the sweat-blanketed skin of Ashe's neck.

"Ashe..." She whispered against the skin.

Without a single sign of warning, Ashe suddenly fell to the grass at the side and onto her back, pulling her along and causing her to fall on top of the said female. She would have probably yelp in surprise if she wasn't too engrossed in practically _'devouring'_ Ashe's neck.

Raising her head and pulling it away from its sweet perch, she gazed into a pair of cerulean eyes, while the owner of the mentioned eyes still had this tired smile on her sweaty face.

"Hey..." Ashe repeated, feeling the fatigue set in. "Is it alright... if we... lie down for... you know, just a bit? I'm a bit... tuckered out."

Katarina smiled as she wiped the sweat on Ashe's face with her own hand.

"Why are you so tired anyway?"

"I... I traveled... on foot... from Grump Street... to here."

Her eyes mildly widened. "You ran all the way?"

Ashe nodded, replacing her tired smile with a dopey one, which caused Katarina's heart to skip a beat for second. Knowing her chest is against Ashe's own, she wondered if Ashe could feel her thundering heart and if her heart is in the same state.

Curious to feel her lover's own heartbeat, Katarina ran one hand down from Ashe's shoulder to her bandaged chest, which is currently on display due to the half-buttoned polo and open vest.

The unsteady heartbeat she felt under her palm made her own increase its beating speed. Looking up to the Avarosa's face again, she released a silent breath of awe as she gazed at Ashe face, which has the sunlight beaming down at it and giving it a sightly and ethereal effect. Ashe, whose eyes were closed just a moment ago, opened them and looked downward, meeting her gaze.

When a long moment passed with nothing happening but them staring into each other's eyes, Katarina broke the eye contact and turned away, blushing lightly.

"I'm sorry," Ashe apologized, caressing her cheeks with her hands. "I'm sorry if I had hurt you in any way and...-!"

She leaned over and took Ashe's lips into her own, cutting off her apology. The kiss lasted for at least three seconds before she reluctantly pulled back and settled on leaving a few light kisses on Ashe's vulnerable collar bone.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. All that matters is that you're here now."

Ashe smiled, but Katarina could still see a small gleam of sadness in the cerulean hues. Obviously, Ashe has yet to tell her something.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, concerned. "Did something happen?"

...

...

...

"Father's dead." Ashe informed her in a murmur after a short moment of silence.

Katarina returned her look back to Ashe and found her lover possessing a neutral emotion in her eyes.

"Ashe, I..."

"But, I think... that's a good thing."

"How... can you say that?" She asked, a tad bit confused with Ashe's words.

"At least he won't have to suffer with the chest pains, the stress, Sierra... Everything. He's finally at peace."

Katarina slowly nodded.

"That's also the reason why I'm here and not getting married." Ashe continued. "Nothing and no one is holding me back anymore. Sierra can keep the family fortune for all I care. I don't want anything in my life, honestly."

She slightly frowned. "Surely you have something you want. Your friends. Lux, Vi, Caitlyn and more."

...

...

...

"I guess I do have something I want." Ashe then quickly added. "Or to be specific, I have _someone_ that I want."

All of a sudden, she felt Ashe firmly grab her hips and push her upward until she was face to face with her, leaving two or three inches as a space between their faces.

Ashe now genuinely smiled.

"And that someone is already right here, in my arms."

...

...

...

Katarina threw her hesitation over her shoulder. She dispelled the tiny gap between them and crashed her lips onto Ashe's, her lips molding perfectly against Ashe's own. Her hands hooked around Ashe's neck and held her by the nape. Using her hands' position, she pulled Ashe towards her and deepened the kiss, the kiss that she oh so craved for from the past few days.

As soon as Ashe parted her lips, her tongue swiftly darted inside and met Ashe's halfway. Their kiss is much needier than the kisses they shared in the past, and she loves it.

Oh, how she missed the feeling of Ashe's soft lips against hers. She wordlessly wished their kiss would never en...-!

"Ahem."

Ashe gasped for some air as soon as Katarina pulled away. She turned away from her lover and looked over her shoulder and found her father, her siblings standing just behind the general.

"Listen, Kata," Cassiopeia started. "As much as we'd like to leave you alone, let me remind you that we're in a park, which is a public place where people are already staring at you."

Sure enough, some of the people around them were blatantly staring at the two of them, some murmuring between themselves.

"And," Talon spoke up. "If you and Ashe are to continue further with what you two were and are planning on doing, it will probably evolve into something more... scandalous, which may result in having authorities arresting you both."

"In summary, we will not permit you two in having sex in public." Marcus stated without a single trace of embarrassment or any emotion whatsoever.

Cassiopeia choked on her laughter behind the general, while Talon acted like he didn't hear anything. Katarina turned back to Ashe and hid her warm face from her family. When she looked up to Ashe, she found the other female blushing madly, which she assumed because of her father's straightforward words. As she silently surveyed Ashe's blushing face, a smile made its way to her back to her lips.

With a pinch of reluctance, she got off of her girlfriend. As soon as she was back up on her two feet, she offered a hand to her lover, who accepted it in an instant.

"Since there is no more wedding, we should probably head home." She heard Talon say.

"Umm, can we... make a stop over?"

"Where?" Cassiopeia asked with a tilt of her head.

"Valoran Cemetery."

All of them, including Ashe herself, turned and directed their attention to the grand general.

Ashe nodded after a second. "Yes, there."

She wound her arms around Ashe's waist from the side. "For your father?"

"Mm-hm," Ashe turned her head and faced her, smiling a bit. "I want to introduce you to him."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe and Katarina walked through the cemetery, careful not to step on any of the graves present and marked on the grass. Marcus, Cassiopeia and Talon stayed behind at the car, the same car that had came for them after the traffic jam passed. They had asked the caretaker of the are they're currently in, so when the man told them to look for the freshly-made grave, it wasn't too difficult to find Alkove's grave.

They stopped at the foot of the grave, both silently looking at the rectangular patch of dirt standing out from green grass. Katarina spared a glance at Ashe's direction and found her girlfriend surprisingly smiling. It wasn't a bright one. In fact, it looked depressed. She wondered to herself why Ashe would smile at a time like this.

"Ashe?"

"When I was young, my father told me that when the time comes and I visit his very own grave, I should never frown nor cry, because he told me never wanted to see me do any of that in front of him."

"I'm sure he's willing to make an exception right now." She said to Ashe, while the wind howled lightly, feeling as if it was agreeing with her words.

Her girlfriend chuckled. "No need. I came here not to only visit him, you know."

Katarina nodded.

"Father, this is Katarina,"

She felt Ashe stroke her forehand with her thumb soothingly.

"She's my girlfriend, and... I hope you approve of her, because no matter what you may say or do," Ashe turned away from the grave and faced her, making her heart perform a flip inside of her as soon as she met her alluring gaze. "I will never let her go."

"Ashe...?"

"Hmm?"

She broke the gaze, knowing she won't be able to focus on her words if she were to get lost in her lover's eyes.

"May I... have a moment with your father?"

Ashe smiled, a true and genuine smile, and nodded, turning away and making her way back to the car after bidding her father small farewell and promising to come back soon. Once Ashe was a fair distance away from her current spot, she refocused her attention on the grave.

"Umm, uh, hi..."

She cleared her throat.

 _'I'm clearly out of my element.'_

"Okay, uh," She scratched the back of her head.

 _'Fuck, I suck at this.'_

"Let me start by saying that your daughter is wonderful and that she's really great, beautiful and um, sexy, but, I, uh, don't mean anything perverted or anything like that. I mean, she's sexy, yeah, but it's not like I was checking her out and uh... Bah, I suck."

Katarina wanted to start gripping and pulling her hair out. She was only talking to a grave, yet she felt like Alkove was standing in front of her.

 _'Maybe because he actually might he in front of you.'_

"Listen, uh, Mister Avarosa," She briefly looked over her shoulder and spotted Ashe leaning on the car and patiently waiting for her to finish. "I know we haven't really met eye to eye, but..."

A serious but not intimidating expression invaded her facial features.

"I love Ashe. I love your daughter more than anything else in the world, and I promise you, sir, I won't let anything happen to her. She's the first person to tear down my walls and I'm glad she did. Heck, I'm eternally grateful for it. I truly hope you approve of our relationship, because honestly," She sighed and smiled to herself, banishing her serious face. "I'm a bit of a clingy girlfriend, and I'm probably going to make sure Ashe and I are inseparable."

...

...

...

Much to her surprise and expectation, the wind blew and made her hair fly back. The breeze didn't make her cold, but she could feel a presence close to her, and it felt as if someone had just placed a hand on her shoulder.

The smile on her face widened slightly.

"Thank you, sir."

...

...

...

The presence she felt slowly started to fade.

"I promise, I'll take care of her."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _There will be two more chapters next which are the long-awaited sex scenes I'm sure a few of you readers have been waiting for. ;) One chapter is where Katarina doesn't use a strap-on, and the other is, well, where she uses one. :3_

 _So, I was in the mood to let another champion make a cameo, and I ended up choosing Annie! ^_^_

 _I hope all of you are enjoying in reading this. :D_


	30. Chapter 30

**ACT 30**

It's been six days ever since the whole wedding fiasco and one week since Alkove's death. Ashe ended up living with Katarina at the Du Couteau mansion, and not only because Ashe didn't have a place to stay at, but because Marcus unofficially adopted her into the family.

Ashe had mentioned to them about Ahri's offer of letting her stay with her, but as soon as Katarina heard about it and whose offer it was, she instantly said no to the idea, ignoring Ashe's reasonings and such.

She will **NOT** have Ashe live with her ex-fiancée, who she discovered that had stolen a kiss from her girlfriend.

That was a big no-no to her.

Who knows what could happen between that sexy and alluring female and her charming and loving girlfriend she loves so dearly?

See what's wrong with that?

In Katarina's opinion, the two of them are perfect together, which is why, she'll make sure Ashe doesn't realize such horrendous thing. And yes, this is just Katarina's paranoia taking over her.

Two days ago, they discovered that Braum had quitted his job as the chief of staff of the Avarosa estate. He visited Ashe at the Du Couteau mansion with Anivia in his possession and a few valuables Ashe had left. Marcus had hired the man to be one of the Du Couteau household's butler and everyday, Braum tutors Ashe with her studies. Marcus was still sorting out a fresh file for Ashe to get her back on track at VU, since he couldn't make any contact to Sierra to get Ashe's original school records.

Well, he didn't make much of an effort in doing so either. Marcus didn't like the woman, so he settled on handling Ashe's education by himself. After all, he did promise Alkove to take care of her.

Now, with Katarina and Ashe's relationship...

Despite Ashe living with the Du Couteau family for three days, nothing... steamy has happened between them, and Katarina was feeling sexually deprived.

Whenever nightfall came and she was going to make her move, Ashe would already be asleep. Either that, or her girlfriend was too tired and lacked the energy to do anything sexual. She didn't want to do it without Ashe being full of energy, even whenever she found herself super hot and bothered. Katarina wants Ashe to be in tip-top shape when they do it.

To make it worse, every time she and Ashe were _this_ close in doing the not so wholesome deed, someone or something is always there to interrupt before the raunchy action could fully commence.

One time, Marcus had walked in on them at the living room. Ashe was already shirtless, and Katarina herself had already taken off her pants that time. Awkward doesn't even qualify to describe that moment for them, especially since the only thing Marcus had told them that moment was, "Use protection."

After those two words were said by the older man, he turned away and left the room. Ashe may not have heard or noticed it, but Katarina sure damn well heard the humor hinting her father's voice.

Another time was when they were in the midst of making-out in her bedroom and both of them were already half-naked when Cassiopeia suddenly barged in with Talon, who carried dozens of shopping bags filled with clothes the green haired female bought for Ashe from her trip to the mall.

Katarina fully blamed herself for not heeding Ashe's words. Ashe had told her to lock the door in between their intense make-out, but she was too eager to start the fun and get right to it. Oh, how she regretted not following her lover's say.

The most recent interruption was somewhat intentional though, in her perspective, that is. She managed to convince Ashe, who sometimes has a trait of being shy, to take a shower with her. All was going smooth in the beginning that time. She and Ashe were already naked and were already heavily making-out under the shower.

Her hands were just about to roam downward and reach its special destination when the warm water raining down on them precipitously turned extremely cold, which then surprised the sexual need out of the two of them. It was like their arousal and their lust-clouded minds were extinguished and banished by the freezing water.

When she had exited the bathroom in nothing but a towel, she discovered from a house staff that she harshly questioned that Cassiopeia was fiddling with the main controls of the water heater at the basement of their mansion during her _'shower moment'_ with her girlfriend.

Every time she looked back to it, frustration always builds up inside of her system. In her opinion, she had waited long enough to finally get her 'special time' with Ashe. Time to take matters into her own hands.

"How do you massage someone again?" Katarina asked Cassiopeia, who is currently perched on the living room couch and channel-surfing.

"Why do you want to know how to massage someone?" Cassiopeia asked, flicking through the channels in the television.

"I don't necessarily need to explain myself to you," She retorted sarcastically, glaring at Cassiopeia. "Especially after what you did yesterday."

"Ah, yes, the whole ' _almost sex in the shower'_ incident between you and Ashe," Her sister recalled in a teasing tone as she placed the remote down and directed her gaze to her. "Are you seriously still mad at me for that? It was an accident, you know. Honest."

"Like hell I'd believe that."

"The water in my bathroom won't turn warm, so I had to do something."

"You could have told one of the staff." She gritted out.

"Well, the house mechanic wasn't around that time and curiosity got the best of me. Besides, have you seen how many buttons there are down there? I actually felt like a kid in some space ship, surrounded by rocket controls and such. A lot of beepers and boopers down there."

"You're fucking immature, you know that?"

"I don't tell you how to live your life." Cassiopeia shot back, sticking her tongue out childishly.

"Listen," She grunted, doing her best not to murder her sister right then and there. She needs Cassiopeia's help, much to her irritation, and if it means putting up with her attitude, then she will. "If you tell me how to properly massage someone, then maybe I'll consider forgiving you."

"I don't see how that deal will...-wait a minute," Cassiopeia cut herself short for a moment before a teasing grin appeared on her face. "Are you planning on setting the mood by massaging Ashe?"

"What? No!"

"You sure~?"

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Katarina snarled, glaring murderously at the other.

It took a while, but Cassiopeia finally took pity on her and gave in, explaining and teaching everything she knows about massaging a person. As much as Katarina loves her sister, a fact that she will never admit out loud, she sometimes envisions herself just strangling her sibling to death.

Of course she threw all of the distractions out the window and listened intently on every word Cassiopeia uttered. She only has an hour before Ashe gets back from her one on one basketball game with Vi at Valoran Sports Center, a place filled with various types of rings and areas fit to host any kind of sport.

She had wanted to go with Ashe earlier, but she figured that she may come off as a clingy lover. She is, she admits that, which is why Katarina feared that Ashe might get suffocated from her, so she decided to let her girlfriend play ball with the pinkette and spend some time with her own friends by herself.

Also, she saw this as a chance to learn a few things in seducing Ashe, and maybe discover a way how to trigger Ashe's wild side and make her lover do the first move.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

"Nice game, Ashe." Vi said with her usual upbeat grin as they walked towards one of the benches at the side. At the said bench, which is quite long, is where, not only their gym bags are on, but is also where their friends are sitting at.

Caitlyn, Lux and Riven sat there, two of them clapping while the other one was taking out a face-towel from Vi's black and pink gym bag.

Yes, some of the students in the university, mostly their friends, already know Ashe's true gender. There was nothing holding back that secret anymore, so Ashe was fine with the news about it spreading. In fact, she felt quite happy about it. It gave her a sense of freedom, something she never felt when she was under her stepmother's control.

Lux and Riven were shocked at first when they were informed about it, but they managed to get over it quicker than any of them had anticipated. The blonde Crownguard was all giddy and excited to have another friend that she can invite at her house without being questioned by her father why they're there, and Riven, well, let's just say they also found out that the grey haired female swings both ways now, Ashe being the sole reason of that turnout.

Lux, holding a face-towel for Ashe, bounded towards the Avarosa herself and offered it to her.

"Here you go!"

"Thank you, Lux." She said back, flashing a small smile as an additional form of thanks.

"So, have any plans after showering?" Vi asked from the side, while Caitlyn wiped the sweat around the pinkette's neck and face.

"Well, I have to go back home. Katarina told me not to stay out too late."

"Did Katarina seriously give you a curfew?" Riven asked jokingly. "It's only five-thirty."

Ashe laughed sheepishly. "I sort of promised her that I'd cook her something for dinner."

"Oh, how sweet of you." Vi half-mockingly cooed, getting a light swat from her girlfriend.

"Maybe next time?" She said.

Lux nodded. "We'll hold you to it!"

After having a conversation with her friends, Ashe decided to change clothes and just take a bath when she gets home, since she doesn't have any stop-overs planned for the night. She and her friends exited the sports center and parted ways at the entrance. Vi's motorcycle and Lux's convertible are currently parked at the west side of the building, so Ashe went to the east side, which is where she had parked her own car.

While walking, Ashe thought about what to cook for Katarina. Ever since she had began living with her at the Du Couteau mansion, her girlfriend always requested her to cook something every single day. Whether it's for breakfast, lunch, or for dinner, Katarina always asked. Ashe didn't mind it though. Truth be told, she enjoyed it, considering she loves cooking. The task of cooking does, nonetheless, relax her.

She rounded around the corner of the sport center and...

"Good evening,"

Ashe snapped out of her thoughts almost instantly. She directed her gaze to where the greeting came from and found a woman, who looks to be in her mid-twenties, leaning on the wall, donning a dark violet trench coat that hugged her body fittingly.

"To you as well, miss." She greeted, adding a brief polite bow of her head.

The woman has shoulder-length black hair with dark violet hints, possessed a pair of light bronze eyes that looked quite mesmerizing and intimidating at the same time and has her lips smoothly-painted by the color of dark purple.

Something about her made Ashe somewhat wary. Before she had left the house, Katarina had told her not to talk to strangers. Yes, it's the usual rule parents usually teach kids. In Ashe's case, Katarina had thought that she should be reminded by such rule.

The unnamed stranger seemed to have noticed her cautiousness, which only emitted a chuckle from the said person. The woman detached her back from the wall and approached her, the clicking and clacking of her heels sounding clearly through the quiet night. Ashe watched as the stranger halted in front of her and offered a hand to her.

"I am Emilia Evaine LeBlanc," The woman, LeBlanc, introduced with a devilish smile.

Despite the unusual situation she is in, Ashe decided to avoid being impolite. She reached forward and shook the outstretched hand, which then made the other continue.

"You must be Ashe Avarosa,"

LeBlanc's name is quite well-known around Runeterra, but Ashe didn't really know what she looked like. She does now though. Ashe briefly recalled Katarina mentioning LeBlanc's name to her when her girlfriend had told her about the Black Rose and her being part of it. However, Ashe didn't expect the woman to know her.

"I am," She replied with a nod. "Is there something you need, Miss LeBlanc?"

LeBlanc chuckled again, finding a pinch of humor from Ashe's polite self. The older woman soon disregarded that and decided to bring up the reason on why she's there.

"You're Katarina's girlfriend, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Then, is it safe to assume she had already mentioned to you the risks of dating her?"

"Risks?" Her eyebrows furrowed, perplexed with LeBlanc's words.

"Yes, risks."

"What risks are those?"

LeBlanc silently laughed before she took a step forward and placed a well-manicured hand behind her.

"Come," LeBlanc said with a small smile that clearly held more meaning. "Walk with me, and I shall tell you everything that is needed to be known."

Her heart thudded in her chest, a hint of fear swirling around inside of her. Ashe may have been massively sheltered, but the word about _the_ Emilia Evaine LeBlanc being a dangerous woman had reached her. She knows at least that much. Doing her best, she decided to push down the small feeling of fright and walk along.

LeBlanc's word had already registered in her mind, and she didn't have any difficulty in banishing the fear she felt. Why?

It's because her fear was replaced with worry.

"Pardon me for asking all of a sudden, but... Is Katarina in danger?"

Much to her expectation, her question caused LeBlanc to release a laugh. The laugh didn't take long though. In just a few seconds, LeBlanc composed herself and opted in answering her question.

"No, my dear, she is not."

She softly sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank you. For a moment there, I thought...-!"

"But _you_ are."

Ashe turned her eyes back to LeBlanc and found no smile on the woman's face. The ominous smile nowhere to be seen or found.

"Umm... H-How...?"

"How, you ask? Well," LeBlanc looked ahead of them, a serious expression on her face. "Katarina joined the Black Rose in a very young age. She was seven years old, to be exact."

 _'She was that young...?'_ Ashe thought silently.

"I had just finished a... task, when I came across Katarina in the middle of the night. She was walking down the street, all alone. I'm sure you know that it's not considered a good thing for a seven year old girl to go around the streets during nightfall. Long story short, after I _'heroically'_ saved her from the night, she took an interest in my choice of living and decided to follow after my footsteps."

"Umm, not to... invade your privacy or anything like that, but..." Ashe curiously looked at LeBlanc. "What is your choice of living?"

LeBlanc halted their walk and faced her, two bronze eyes boring into her ceruleans.

"I kill people."

Ashe's eyes widened, while a chill ran up her spine. She wanted to take a step away from LeBlanc, maybe even run away, but the woman's arm that's now around her shoulders, prevented her from doing so. Instead of attempting to uselessly run, she wordlessly decided to listen to whatever else LeBlanc has to say.

"I'm a hitman, or a _'hitwoman'_ , to be more specific." LeBlanc clarified, smirking as she did. "When Katarina joined the Black Rose, I taught her all the things I knew about assassinating with blades. At the age of nine, she assassinated her first target."

Ashe felt like her brain was malfunctioning due to the info suddenly given to her about her girlfriend. The shock was as clear as day on her pale face, and of course, LeBlanc noticed it.

"She didn't tell you?"

"..."

She was speechless. She tried looking for things to say, but she found none.

"The man she first killed, he fought back. Katarina was not that strong that time, obviously. That mission of hers is the one and only reason why she walks around with a scar on her eye."

"Please, stop." She whispered, eyes casted downward. "I... I don't want to hear any more stories about Katarina's... past."

LeBlanc quietly chortled. "Why, of course, my dear. After all, I'm not really here to discuss Katarina's accomplishments."

' _Accomplishments? How can people actually call murders... accomplishments?'_

Ashe spun herself to the side and faced LeBlanc directly. "Then, why are you here? Are you here to destroy Katarina's image to me?"

"Of course not."

"Then, speak."

LeBlanc mutely looked at Ashe and thought about her sudden shift in attitude. One moment Ashe was acting all scared and defenseless, the next, she suddenly became brave and defensive. All this for one special redhead.

"I see Katarina as the daughter I will never have. She does not know it, and I intend to keep it that way, for I have a reputation as _'the Deceiver'_ to keep up. Now, the main reason why I'm here is because you are in danger."

"What does that have to do anything with me?"

"Katarina made more than a handful of... adversaries in her path of becoming a hitwoman. Despite Katarina laying low for the past few months, that still does not make the people she antagonized any less threatening." LeBlanc explained. "Those people will do anything just to get back at Katarina, even if it means playing dirty."

"Playing... dirty?"

"Those people may or may not know about your relationship with Katarina, but when they do find out about it, you will be put in a tight spot, Avarosa."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about is," LeBlanc straightened her posture and assumed her serious facial expression again. "Katarina's enemies will stop at nothing just to hurt her. And, if killing you will do just that, then all I can say is... be careful, or else you'll find yourself dead before you can even take another breath of air."

Ashe stared back at LeBlanc... and blinked.

...

...

...

"I will do everything I can to keep you and Katarina safe. Unfortunately, in my opinion, I won't be enough to do that."

"I... I..."

LeBlanc raised an eyebrow. "You what?"

"I... don't know what to say."

She felt LeBlanc place a hand over her shoulder.

"Consider this as a warning. Keep yourself safe."

"What about Katarina?"

"Just focus on keeping yourself alive, because you can't do anything when you're dead."

"But, what about...-!"

LeBlanc raised a hand to silence her.

"Listen, Ashe. Remember this, if you die, Katarina dies. It's that simple. All I can say to you now is to savour each and every moment you have with her. It may just be your last."

Ashe's eyes were glued to the ground, and when LeBlanc concluded that she had said enough, the woman turned and began walking away.

"Anyone can hide the past," LeBlanc said as she walked. "But no one can run from it."

Raising her head, she stared at LeBlanc's form until the woman was nowhere in her sights. She didn't know how long she spent in wasting her time in standing on the same spot she's in, but she eventually regained her senses. She made her way to her car in a daze and drove out of the area.

As Ashe drove, she found herself clenching and unclenching her hold on the steering wheel of her vehicle. It was hard for her to imagine Katarina assassinating someone. When she came to a stop due to a red light, she took her hands away from the wheel and looked at it. Closing her eyes for a moment and opening them after, she suddenly envisioned her pale hands, coated with fresh blood.

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

Ashe half-jumped on her seat as soon as she heard the car behind her honk. She noticed the green light the stoplight displayed ahead of her. Without any more delays, she placed her hands back on the steering wheel and resumed her drive.

The drive didn't take long. She felt like the drive merely lasted for a few seconds, but truthfully, she's been driving for at least half an hour before she reached her destination. She had one of the Du Couteau's household's drivers park her car, and as soon as she exited the vehicle, she went straight into the house.

She had just passed the entrance of the living room when...

"You're here!" Katarina suddenly called from the living room.

Ashe decided to backtrack with her steps and walk inside the living room. She gave her girlfriend and her girlfriend's sister a greeting smile.

"Evening, you two."

Katarina reached out and held one of her hands, intending to pull her down and make her join them at the sofa, but she managed to stop her before her lover did that.

"I'm going to cook you dinner," She said as she gazed into Katarina's eyes. "Let's cuddle later."

Cassiopeia snickered from the side. "Yeah, Katarina, let Ashe cook dinner before you smother her."

Katarina let her go and decided to glare daggers at her sibling. Ashe planted a kiss on Katarina's forehead and offered another smile before she decided to make her way to the kitchen area, where the chef the Du Couteau family hired is always stationed.

Ashe pushed the matter of Katarina's past at the back of her mind as she entered the kitchen. She's definitely going to make sure she makes Katarina a delicious dinner that can top an expert cook's skills.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Katarina rinsed off the bubbles from her hair as quick and thorough as she can, her hands rubbing and scrubbing the bubbly remnants of the shampoo off.

 _'So far, so good.'_

Every thing is actually going smoother than she had anticipated. She half-expected something was going to happen that will ruin the night for her and Ashe, but no, her expectation was being proved wrong by reality.

After the utterly delicious dinner Ashe had made for her, she and Ashe had retreated back to her bedroom, which she now refers to as their room. Ashe took a shower first before her, so now, she was getting excited.

 _'Finally. This time, no one is going to disturb us. I'll just stick to my game plan, and all will be smooth-sailing.'_

Ashe seemed to be stressed, based from what she had noticed earlier, and it's completely perfect for her plan. Now all there's left to do is for her to finish showering.

 _'Done!'_ She almost shouted as she exited the shower.

Katarina's mind is completely locked in to the fact that she will be the one to set the mood and start the sex, but what she doesn't know, is that she will be in for an unexpected surprise.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe sat on the foot of Katarina's, er, their bed, eyes locked on her two hands, both palms cleaner than a whistle. Not even a pinch of dirt or a drop of crimson can be seen. She was only wearing a plain navy blue boxer and a grey tank top, an item which Cassiopeia had bought for her a day or two ago. In spite of not being under Sierra's manipulation and control, she still wore her boxers whenever she slept. She had grown up wearing men's underwear, after all.

She lifted her head up and gazed at the closed bathroom, where Katarina is currently taking a shower.

 _'How many have you killed Katarina?'_ She asked herself as she stared at the door. _'Why didn't you tell me any of this?'_

Standing up from the bed, she walked towards the door.

 _'Katarina...'_

She heard the shower stop from inside, indicating that Katarina had just finished.

 _'Why didn't you tell me?'_

The door of the bathroom was pulled open and Katarina stepped out, donning nothing but a white towel that barely managed to cover her form. Katarina raised her head and made eye contact with her. Her eyes flickered to the scar on her lover's left eye, but only for just a moment.

"Ashe?"

 _'Why?'_

Ashe took the final step forward and grabbed Katarina's shoulders, swiftly and lightly pushing her against the wall just beside the bathroom's doorway. Not letting Katarina utter a word, she had her lips against Katarina's in a heartbeat.

Katarina was taken completely by surprise with the turn of events. The redhead stared for a moment with wide eyes as Ashe started a kiss.

 _'Were you afraid, Katarina?'_

Before any of them could evolve their kiss to something that involves their tongues, Ashe suddenly took Katarina's thighs and lifted them up, hooking both of it by her hips. Katarina was quick to catch on and instantly locked her legs around Ashe's waist before wrapping her arms around Ashe's neck.

Ashe stepped away from the wall and carried Katarina towards the bed, while she kissed and sucked on Katarina's neck. These actions caused Katarina to whimper quietly in pleasure.

 _'Were you afraid that it'll scare me?'_

She lightly slammed Katarina down the bed, not even stopping her lips' movement against the redhead's neck in the process. But, she did stop after a few seconds. Ashe reached to the side and took one of Katarina's hands, specifically her left hand, and began kissing it softly.

 _'How many have you killed with these hands?'_

Katarina watched her intently and with a slightly uneven breathing pace as she switched to the other hand and peppered it with identical kisses, just like the first one.

 _'How much blood have stained your hands? These hands that I truly love.'_

Once she finished, she lifted herself up and flipped Katarina over until her back faced her. She snatched the already-loosened towel and carelessly tossed it aside and off the bed. She heard Katarina gasp as the air hit her now bare body.

Ashe reached down and started feeling Katarina's back with her cool hands. Apparently, it isn't as smooth as it looked. As she gently ran her hands along her lover's back, she would encounter a few healed scars beneath the skin. It may not be visible, but it can't still be felt under her fingertips.

 _'What did you do to get yourself these scars?'_

Leaning down, she gave each healed scar she found a kiss and a second's worth of sucking before moving onto the next one. Below her, Katarina pursed her lips tightly to prevent herself from unleashing any sounds of pleasure she got from Ashe's touches on her back.

"Ashe..." She lightly panted, her body feeling extremely hot all over.

Ashe carefully spun her around after she gave the sufficient attention on each and every scar she found on Katarina's back. She stared at Katarina's mildly panting self under her own body, looking flushed and completely needy for her sensual touch.

 _'You, of all people, should know...'_

She bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Katarina's eyes scar.

 _'This will never scare me, Katarina.'_

She suddenly felt Katarina push her back, making her stand on her knees again, while Katarina bent forward and assumed a sitting position. Katarina grabbed the hem of her tank top, and she instantly expected her girlfriend to just pull it off of her, or maybe rip it to shreds with her own hands. What half-surprised her was when Katarina stopped and looked up to her, emerald green eyes asking for a wordless permission.

Ashe cupped her hands below Katarina's jaw and leaned down to kiss her. Their lips parted and their tongues met halfway for its romantic dance. It didn't last long though. She broke away and left just a few inches between their faces.

"Undress me." She whispered lowly.

 _'It may just be the last time you will ever do so.'_

With that being her last conscious thought, Ashe pushed the whole world aside and focused on nothing but hers and Katarina's moment.

Katarina silently but quickly yanked her tank top off of her. Once the shirt was gone, the next one to come off were her boxers. Just like that, nothing separated them from each other.

Ashe pushed Katarina down the bed and immediately ravished her lips, only giving a one second or two second window for quick replenishments of their breaths. Slowly and sensually, she ran her hands down Katarina's body, fingertips, and sometimes nails, grazing over the skin.

She released a husky sound as soon as she felt Katarina excitedly grab her boobs, fingers roughly pinching her sensitive nipples. With a gasp, she ended their kiss and lowered herself until she was in face-level of Katarina's chest. She gave Katarina's right nipple a quick kiss, which earned her a whimper from the redhead, before she began suckling on it.

"Ahh...!"

Katarina threw her head back and pushed her chest more against her, and she continued with her suckling, stopping only when her teeth lightly bit down on the nipple.

With one swift movement, she switched to the other nipple and suckled on it. Katarina had already become breathless, one hand clutching the sheets, the other gripping Ashe's white hair and one leg securely wrapped around Ashe's waist.

"Mm...! Ashe..."

She released Katarina's nipple with an audible and sloppy pop of her lips. After doing so, she ran her tongue upward until she got back to Katarina's face.

"Kat...?"

Katarina, whose eyes were closed, opened them and gazed into her eyes. She felt Katarina grope her chest again, and she instantly knew what it meant.

"Do you...?"

Her girlfriend bit her bottom lip as she nodded hastily.

Offering a small smile, she leaned down and started another open-mouthed kiss with her. It lasted for a few seconds and it left them both breathless as expected.

"Go ahead..." She breathed out.

In a blink of an eye, Ashe had her back against the sheets and Katarina was already perched on her flat stomach. She could already feel the growing wetness of Katarina's womanhood against her stomach, and it sent a rush of arousal down between her own legs.

Katarina wasted no time and leaned down, sucking Ashe's left nipple hungrily. She jumped slightly at the eagerness of her her girlfriend, but was quick to recover. Katarina switched occasionally between her nipples, and every time she did, Katarina suckled very hard. It's as if her lover was expecting milk to come out for her to drink up.

"Mmm... Kat... Ahh..." She sighed out in pleasure, teeth clenching and unclenching every now and then.

Suddenly...

"Ah!" She yelped out in pleasure as soon as she felt a finger intrude inside her core. She had become too distracted with Katarina's attention on her chest that she didn't notice that one of Katarina's hands went south. The finger Katarina had inserted inside of her lazily pumped in and out of her in a pattern.

Whenever Katarina thrusted her finger inside, the finger would swirl around inside of her for a few moments, causing her walls to contract around it, as if it was encouraging it to continue. Each turn and move the finger made, it sent a shooting pleasure up her spine and made her brain fluctuate.

Katarina left her chest with a parting lick before raising herself back up and engulfing her lips with her own. Ashe accepted the kiss without any protest. She even wound her hands around Katarina's neck as they needily and sloppily conveyed their love to each other with their lips and tongues, their sweat-blanketed bodies pressed against each other.

She felt another finger join the first one that's already inside of her dripping womanhood.

"Mm!" She moaned out in between their messy lip-dance.

She could feel Katarina's free hand slip under her and clutch her backside, all the while the other continued thrusting in and out of her. Katarina's fingers steadily pumped in and out of her, making low and lewd squelching noises with every push and pull.

The pressure building inside of her was becoming too noticeable and if Katarina were to speed up...-!

"Ah!" She separated her lips from Katarina's as soon as she felt the thrusting of the redhead's fingers abruptly and significantly quicken.

Ashe tilted her head back, lips parted slightly as she panted for air. Katarina settled on nipping on the sensitive spot in Ashe's neck, her tongue coming out to lick against the pale skin before her lips latched onto it and sucked feverishly. Katarina squeezed her backside for a few times, while she rapidly thrusted her two fingers in and out of her now drenched pussy.

"Ah, ah, ah...!"

The last thrust came and Katarina literally spun and twirled her two fingers inside of her before parting them in a V-shape while inside of her walls.

Ashe mildly spasmed and convulsed for a few times as her orgasm consumed her whole body, and while she did, Katarina sensually moved her fingers in random directions inside of her with much effort, since it became much tighter than before, which then prolonged her pleasurable release. She could feel the fruit of her climax coat Katarina's fingers, and the knowledge of it caused her face to heat up more than one level.

She came down from her high after at least half a minute. Her line of vision, which was part of the things that were overwhelmed by her orgasm, adjusted for a moment, and as soon as it finished, she turned her gaze to her lover.

Katarina slowly withdrew her fingers from inside of her womanhood and laid her head on her shoulder, while she raised her wet and cum-coated fingers in front of them.

"Wow..." Katarina whispered in slight awe, looking at the whitish coat drenching fingers with a small gleam of amazement.

Ashe blushed wildly as Katarina put her sticky fingers in front of her own face, sniffing the outcome of the climax she had recently given to her.

"Smells funny." Katarina commented.

"S-Shut up." She muttered, her blush intensifying.

Katarina flashed her a half-smirk before the redhead suddenly took her two fingers inside of her mouth, sucking on the stained digits for a few seconds and licking them clean afterwards. Once her cum was _'cleaned'_ from Katarina's fingers, her girlfriend left her fingers alone and turned to her.

"Tastes great though. Sweet, and a little bit salty."

"Kata...-!" Ashe was abruptly cut off when Katarina pushed her two fingers back inside of her all of a sudden. She jumped at the surprise intrusion and confusingly glared at the redhead. "Katarina!"

Katarina flashed a small grin at her before she got off her back and positioned herself between Ashe's legs. Ashe tried closing her legs reflexively, but Katarina was quick and had suddenly pulled her fingers out and used both hands to make sure that her thighs stay open and parted.

"Ah-ah-ah," Katarina teasingly said. "I'm thirsty, and I deserve at least a few 'drinks' after what I did for you."

More blood rushed to Ashe's already flushed face. "Y-You can't be serious!"

"What?"

"That's...! It's...! It's dirty down there!" Ashe practically squeaked.

Katarina playfully shrugged. "I'm fine with it."

"Kat...-ah!"

She didn't get to finish since Katarina had already dove in face-first in her center. Katarina's tongue eagerly licked the drenched bundle of nerves. She could feel her girlfriend's tongue run over her wet slit, flicking her clit whenever it got near it. Katarina would even sometimes slip her tongue inside of her sex, sloppily slithering inside her warm and moist walls before pulling out. It didn't take long for Katarina to finish her _'drink'_. In a few moments, Katarina was, once again, beside her, a playful smile on her face.

Ashe, doing her best to try and deny that what Katarina had did made her a bit... excited, turned and faced her girlfriend fully, knowing Katarina still hasn't gotten her own release.

"Umm... Kat?"

"Yeah?"

"I, umm..." She looked down and found he right hand's fingers stroking and drawing random pattern on Katarina's toned stomach. If Katarina wasn't lying on her left arm, then she probably fiddled with her fingers as an added form of nervousness. "I don't... you know... know how to... please you."

Her blush was becoming more and more obvious by the minute. She may not know it, but Katarina was finding it rather cute.

"Don't worry, Ashe," Katarina murmured. "Mine can wait. If you're tired...-!"

"No," She cut off, her blush fading and determination now showing in her eyes. "I want to make you feel the way I did earlier. I'm not the only one who has... sexual needs."

Katarina briefly stared at her in surprise before smiling.

"Well, if you say so,"

Katarina reached out and held her right wrist and gently guided her right hand between her own legs. Ashe stopped herself from jumping as soon as she felt her fingertips graze over Katarina's own southern lips.

"There."

"W-W-W-What do I do?" She stammered, her blush returning full force.

Katarina was about to chuckle, but her breath was suddenly caught in her throat when one of Ashe's fingertips gently grazed her sensitive nub, which then sent an electric current of undeniable pleasure up her spine.

"Ah...!" She gasped in surprise.

Ashe instantly assumed she had done something wrong, so she made a move to pull her hand away and maybe apologize for what she accidentally did. But, her wrist was grabbed and intercepted before she could do so.

"No, no," Katarina breathed out, clutching her wrist with a trembling and weakening grip. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't?"

Katarina shook her head. "Just do what you think is right."

Ashe hesitantly nodded. She looked down and performed an experimental stroke of a finger against Katarina's slit.

"Mm..." Katarina whimpered, biting her lip in the process.

All Ashe saw was pleasure written on Katarina's face when she spared a glance upward, so it encouraged her to be bolder in her future actions. Instead of pushing first her index finger inside of Katarina, just like what the redhead had done earlier to her, it was her middle finger, which is longer, that was pushed inside.

"AH!"

She hilted her finger inside of Katarina, slick and warm pre-cum oozing out and somewhat coating her pale knuckles. Ashe took the time to take another glance at Katarina, once again finding her girlfriend's face twisted in sexual pleasure.

Slowly, oh so slowly, she started to move her middle finger inside of Katarina's more than moist core. But, it wasn't easy as she had expected. The tight and warm walls prevented her from moving it much, but she didn't let it stop her. Ashe effortlessly twisted her hand around, which made her finger spin around inside of Katarina pleasurably.

"Ahh!" Katarina arched her back as an additional reaction to the sudden movement.

Ashe hooked her free hand behind Katarina's nape and pulled her lover in for another messy kiss. Their tongues practically intertwining with each other, while between Katarina's thighs, Ashe started to pump her finger in an agonizingly slow pace.

It drove Katarina crazier than anything else.

"Ahh! Ashe!"

Without warning, Katarina suddenly got on top of her, knees perched on both sides of hers. She was a tad bit surprised that her finger hadn't slipped out in the process of Katarina's sudden change of position.

Katarina straddled her thighs right now. Well, she would be straddling her thighs directly, if Ashe's hand isn't in the way and her finger isn't buried inside Katarina's rather tight womanhood.

With eyes that had slightly darkened with lust, she watched as Katarina tossed her red hair back and take a few short breaths.

"Mmm," Katarina bit her bottom lip for a moment before panting out, "Add another..."

"Another one?" She asked in a low murmur, gazing into a pair of lust-clouded emeralds.

Katarina nodded her head quickly.

Giving what Katarina requested, Ashe moved her index finger. She was just about to push it in, when Katarina abruptly lifted her hips and dropped it back down, now sheathing two fingers inside of her. The green-eyed redhead threw her head back while she placed her hands on Ashe's stomach, nails clawing on the flawless skin.

"Ohh...!" Katarina clenched her eyes shut and bit hard on her bottom lip.

Ashe watched Katarina without doing anything for just a mere second before she resumed thrusting her fingers. Katarina groaned lowly in pleasure before she herself began riding Ashe's slender fingers.

As Katarina bounced herself on top of her, she felt one of Katarina's hands snake downward. It slipped between her legs and once again, slipped two fingers inside of her, pumping in the same pace she did in moving her hips up and down.

Ashe leaned forward and sat up, capturing one of Katarina's nipples. She suckled her lover's nipple as she quickened her fingers' thrusting. Feeling bolder than ever, Ashe added a third finger inside of Katarina's pussy, which caused her partner to moan out in satisfaction.

Of course when she did that, Katarina also copied her and pushed another finger inside of her own womanhood, which made her jump for a second as a surge of pleasure shook her body. It also resulted in her biting Katarina's nipple.

"Ahh! Ashe...!" Katarina grunted out, wrapping her free arm around her neck. "Mmm! More..."

Ashe heeded Katarina's need and started to bite her nipple in between her suckling. In the process of all this, Katarina's climax and Ashe's second one was starting to build up, fast.

"More, Ashe... More...-mm!"

Despite her just orgasming earlier, Ashe's release came first before Katarina's. Ashe let out a small cry against Katarina's chest as her orgasm consumed her body for a pleasurable moment. Even though she had screamed out and let her climax take over her, Ashe still kept her thrusting ongoing.

In fact, her thrusting became faster than before, which, of course, made Katarina moan loudly in ecstasy.

"Ashe, oh... Ashe! Ahhh!"

Ashe felt Katarina's own walls clench and contract around her three fingers as she came. To add more pleasure to the climaxing redhead, she wiggled her fingers inside Katarina's womanhood.

"Ohh! Oh, God! Ah! Fuck!" Katarina let out a string of curses as soon as she felt Ashe make her fingers squirm around inside of her.

Katarina felt like her brain was fried with the orgasm she had just experienced. She was caught by surprise when Ashe withdrew her fingers and swiftly pushed her down the bed, causing her own fingers to slip out of Ashe's own core.

Ashe gazed intently into Katarina's eyes as she raised her three cum-stained fingers and sucked on it. Katarina stifled a moan as she watched Ashe suck on the fingers that were once inside of her. Chuckling tiredly, she brought up her own wet fingers and sucked on them as well, tasting Ashe's honey yet again.

"Good?" Katarina asked in a muffled manner as she looked Ashe, who was just finished in cleaning her own fingers with her mouth.

"Mm-hm..." Ashe hummed.

Ashe reached down and took Katarina in her arms before she moved back and fell onto the pillows. Her girlfriend automatically snuggled against her chest, lips curving into a satisfied, and at the same time, dopey-looking, smile.

"That was just... mind-blowing." Katarina said, sighing in absolute content and satisfaction.

"It was tiring too." She added, brushing her hair back and wiping the sweat on her forehead.

"But, it was worth it."

"That it was."

She looked down in her arms and saw that Katarina's eyes were drooping close, but Katarina seems to be fighting it.

"Katarina?" She softly spoke.

"Hmm?" Katarina responded sleepily.

...

...

...

"I love you."

The sleepiness was mildly dispelled. Katarina raised her head and smiled sleepily up at her.

"You sure can pick a great time to tell me that," Katarina stated quietly.

Katarina pulled herself up, hands holding onto the headboard behind Ashe. Her lover stopped as soon as she was in the same eye level as she is. Hands left the headboard and arms wound around her neck, initiating another kiss. It wasn't as sloppy and messy as the previous ones, but they still tasted one another and themselves in each other's mouth as their tongues explored slowly.

After a few seconds of sensual tongue-exploring, Katarina pulled away and left a thin string of mixed salivas between their faces.

"I love you."

Ashe smiled and rubbed her nose against Katarina's.

"Katarina, I promise you," She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against her girlfriend's. "Every single day, I'm going to love you with all my heart."

Katarina chuckled half-heartedly. "Don't worry, you'll never lose me, so we have all the time in the world on our hands."

 _'That's what you want me to believe.'_

"Nothing can keep us apart." Katarina told her as she snuggled against her once again. "That's something I can promise you."

Ashe secured her arms firmly and comfortably around Katarina, who soon fell asleep after a short moment of silence in her arms, unknown to her that it was her heartbeat that lulled her lover to her slumber.

"Katarina..." She whispered, knowing the redhead is already asleep. She brushed a few strands of red hair and gently placed a soft kiss on Katarina's scar once again.

"Be careful with the promises that you make." A lone tear fell from her left eye, and she didn't bother to wipe it. She held Katarina tightly against her as she buried her face in the sea of red hair. "You just might break it."

LeBlanc's parting words to her earlier rang clear in her head before she finally succumbed to her body's call for rest and sleep.

 _ **"Anyone can hide the past, but no one can run from it."**_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _And THAT, is the ending of **"I Won't Give Up"**. This story was inspired by **Jason Mraz's** song, if you haven't gotten that yet. 😆_

 _And yes, there is a sequel. It's titled **"My Heart Will Go On"**. :D Check it out if you readera want, no pressure. 😊_

 _Thank you for all the loyal readers that stuck to this 'sucky' story. :P I love you all for adding this story to your favorites, reviewing and just plain reading the story and fangirling/fanboying in front of your cellphone/computer. XD_

 _I feel like I've improved in building the story properly, didn't rush this one, AND the sexual tension in the mature scenes! Let me know if I improved or not. :D_

 _If not then... READER-SENPAI! GIVE ME ADVICE! I'm just a sixteen year old, for crying out loud! 😢😢_

 _Special thankies to these people: (all of them are from Wattpad)_

 _\- IvaVampire_

 _\- scarletabbey_

 _\- ClaireFarronXIII_

 _\- ThNguyn719_

 _Thank you, you four! Without your votes and comments, I wouldn't have had finished this story sooner than I have. :* These are the readers that stuck with me alon the story when it wasn't finished yet in Wattpad._

 _But of course, I still love all of you readers here in Fanfiction! Your reviews are just uuuuggghh! 💙😙_

 _Kisses and hugs for everyone who reached **THIS** point of this long A/N of mine! Yaaaayyy! ~(^o^)~_

 _(Probably something Ashe would say if she were to be influenced by Katarina's 'Noxian Ways' and become the ruling tyrant of Freljord. :3)_

 _"Blood for Freljord!"_

 _~xNekorux_


	31. Chapter 30 (Alternate Scene)

**ACT 30-ish (Alternate sex scene)**

Katarina wanted to groan out loud as she slumped herself all over one of the couches in the living room, while her brother just looked at her with a blank expression, saying nothing about her moping.

It's her birthday today.

Originally, she planned on spending the whole day locked in the bedroom with Ashe, doing activities that involve no clothing whatsoever. Unfortunately for her, Ashe had woken up earlier than usual and had left with Cassiopeia to go somewhere before she herself awakened from her sleep.

She can't help but feel depressed. She hoped and expected to wake up and have Ashe greet her first thing in the morning, making her birthday already complete, despite the day just beginning for her.

Right now, no amount of gifts or greetings can pull her out of her depressed self. Well, maybe a gift in a form of her beloved wearing nothing but a ribbon over her head can bring her out of her saddened state. She will be totally content with receiving just that gift for the rest of her life.

"Why did she even leave with Cass early in the morning?" She asked in a grumble.

Talon, who is reading a novel as they speak, answered, "Ashe said she needs to buy something for you."

"What, a gift? She could have just taken off all her clothes and tied a ribbon on her wrist or something and present herself as my birthday gift. Believe me, that's the perfect gift for me."

"Cassiopeia said that they won't be long, so they'll probably be here before lunch." Talon told her, disregarding the description of her _'perfect gift'_.

Her mood didn't even let up a tiny bit with his words. She returned to just slumping on the couch, eyes flickering to the wall clock at the side. She stared at the clock intently, as if she was willing it to tick faster and fast-forward time.

 _ **Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!**_

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Talon was right. Ashe and Cassiopeia arrived from their trip to God knows where before the table at the dining room was set up for lunch time. Once Katarina saw Ashe walk in and join her and Talon at living room, wearing a pair of fitted denim shorts and a plain white short-sleeve shirt that wrapped around her torso fittingly, she threw the remote of the television like it was a piece of trash and got off the sofa.

Ashe didn't even get a chance to finish her birthday greeting, for Katarina pulled her girlfriend in for a tight embrace.

"Sorry for being so clingy." She said after inhaling the cool scent her lover always emitted.

Ashe chuckled, returning the embrace by wrapping her free arm around Katarina. "Don't be. I actually love it whenever you're acting like it this."

"Why'd you leave so early?" She asked, still hugging Ashe.

"I had to pick up something for your birthday."

Katarina, whose head is perched over Ashe's shoulder, casted her gaze downward and spotted the shiny black bag Ashe held with her other hand.

"Is that it?"

Knowing what Katarina's referring to, Ashe nodded.

"Yes, it is."

"Can I see it?"

"No," Ashe pulled back, stopping as soon as they were face to face. "You can only open your present after dinner."

"What? Why?"

"It's because this gift isn't like any other gifts people usually get."

Katarina huffed, purposely pouting. Ashe made a face in return. Katarina knows fully well that Ashe's resolve always crumbles whenever she pouts her lips, and this may actually be her ticket in getting her first birthday present.

"Pouting won't get you what you want this time, Kitty." Ashe said, chuckling before giving her pouted lips a quick peck.

"Well, it was worth the try."

Katarina took Ashe's wrist in her grasp and pulled her lover back to the sofa she was on earlier, sitting back down and tugging on Ashe's wrist until the other was seated beside her, the black bag falling just beside the coffee table.

"Can I at least have a small gift from you right now?"

"What small gift?"

She leaned toward the beauty with her and gave Ashe's lips a swift swipe of her tongue, giving Ashe a hint that said it all.

"Make-out with me."

Her siblings were surprisingly gone, and Katarina couldn't be anymore thankful for their lack of presence. She didn't even bother to wait for any sort of response from Ashe. Leaning closer and vanquishing the space between them, Katarina pressed herself against Ashe and instigated a kiss between them, which escalated quicker than usual.

Katarina slightly pushed Ashe back with her weight, encountering no trouble in making Ashe part her lips for her. While their lips and tongue played with each other, Ashe felt one of Katarina's hands creep around her waistline, fingers toying with the hem of the white shirt. With a simple push of a hand, Katarina's hand slipped under Ashe's shirt and began to stroke the flat stomach that made contact with her palm.

Ashe hummed in between their kiss, while Katarina gently pushed Ashe back and pinning her on the cushions of the sofa. Once Ashe's back was down and against the sofa, Katarina pulled back and hovered above the white haired female.

"I changed my mind," Leaning down, she licked at the shell of Ashe's ear, teasing the other sensually. "I'm craving for your taste."

"Katarina," Ashe groaned out. "It's almost lunch time, can't you wait just for a few more hours?"

"Few hours? You mean, after dinner? No way." She adjusted herself over her girlfriend and pressed one knee against Ashe's covered heat, causing the female to shudder. "I want to do it, now."

"But, Kata...-!"

"Lunch time!" Cassiopeia, who suddenly walked in, called out to them before returning to the dining room.

At first, she was gazing into the blue eyes of her beloved, the next, her face was completely planted on the cushions, while her girlfriend is already standing up, bag in hand.

"Lunch time, Katarina." Ashe said to her, offering her free hand for the redhead to accept.

"Oh, come on, Ashe!" She whined. "Five more minutes?"

Ashe shook her head and decided to walk ahead. "I'll meet you at the dining room."

Katarina watched Ashe walk away and towards the direction of the dining room, intently watching Ashe sway her hips and eyeing the shapely rump of her beautiful lover. Hopping off the couch, she dashed forward and walked alongside Ashe, but not before leaning back, pulling a hand away and...!

 ** _Slap!_**

Slapping Ashe's ass.

Ashe halted with her steps, while her face went from pale to scarlet red as soon as blood rushed up to her face and filled her cheeks, gasping in addition to her reaction at the sudden strike the redhead had just done.

"Katarina!"

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Clear drops of warm water fell over Katarina and soothed her whole body as she pondered about everything that had happened from the last few hours of her birthday. Her last interaction with Ashe was the making-out they had done at the living room, after that, Ashe avoided socializing with her as much as she can.

When she had managed to corner Ashe at the bathroom earlier, she just ended up getting a roll of tissue paper and a bar of soap thrown at her face. Maybe because it wasn't a good idea to interrupt Ashe while she was at the toilet.

Other than those two interactions, she hasn't spent any time with her girlfriend. She was starting to worry.

What if Ashe is getting tired of her?

What if Ashe wants nothing to do with her anymore?

What if Ashe has been hooking up with Riven behind her back?

Katarina groaned as she turned the shower off. She erased all the possibilities her paranoia keeps conjuring up for her, not wanting to make herself paranoid. It's quite clear that Ashe isn't the type to be unfaithful, so she shouldn't think of Ashe like that.

Stepping out of the shower, she took the towel hung at the side and began to dry herself. Usually, she and Ashe take showers together whenever they can, but Ashe took hers earlier than Katarina had expected. Now, there's only a few hours until her birthday is done and despite receiving various awesome gifts from her family, she still feels like her birthday is incomplete.

It'll remain incomplete until Ashe does something with her.

Which reminds her, Ashe doesn't even have a gift for her.

"So much for waiting..." She grumbled as she exited the bathroom.

As she walked out of the bathroom, she heard the bed creak, so she turned her head to the direction of the bed and found Ashe, who looks to have just gotten off of the mattress.

"Umm, Katarina..."

She halted her walking, facing Ashe fully. Looking at her girlfriend now, she took notice of Ashe's current attire. She's currently donning the dark red lingerie set Katarina had brought for her a few weeks ago, the same provocative lingerie that Ashe refused to wear for it was too 'inappropriate'.

"Is..." Katarina gestured at Ashe's barely covered self. "...this your present to me?"

Ashe's face, which is already flushed, became redder. "W-Well, not really..."

The more she looked at Ashe, the more she noticed that Ashe is currently concealing something behind her. She narrowed her eyes a bit before returning her gaze to her lover's face.

"What's that behind you?"

"Before that, let me start by apologizing for avoiding you all day."

"Oh, I thought I was the only one who noticed." She muttered with a tad bit of sarcasm, crossing her arms and huffing.

She may not look like it, but Katarina is a bit hurt with Ashe's actions from the past few hours. Call her clingy and all, but she feels a bit neglected, especially since it's her birthday.

"I know you're not happy with it, and I'm really sorry." Ashe apologized, looking down to her feet.

All it took was for her to stare at Ashe's face for a moment before her so called anger crumbled. She stepped forward and pulled Ashe in for an embrace, holding her lover with tender care.

"I can't really stay angry with you for so long."

She felt Ashe return the hug with one arm, which made her wonder where its twin had gone. She made a move to look over Ashe's shoulder and downward to see what Ashe is holding, only for the said female to abruptly pull away and take a step back.

"Ashe?"

"L-Listen, Katarina," Ashe cleared her throat. "There's a reason why I've been a bit... detached from you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "And what's the reason?"

"I'm a little... nervous."

"Nervous?"

Ashe's cheeks warmed up more than before as she nodded. "For my gift to you, yes."

Katarina processed it for a few seconds before coming up empty and just adding more confusion in her head. She can't really think of a gift that can make someone nervous. Excited, yes. Nervous, no.

"What is your gift for me?"

They stood there in silence for a few moments before Ashe finally let out a deep breath and pulled out whatever it is she was concealing behind her.

"This is my gift for you."

If it were possible, Katarina's eyes would have probably popped out of its very own sockets, especially when she caught the sight of the black sex toy with leather straps. It's certainly something she did not expect from her innocent beloved.

She opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Opened it.

Closed.

Open.

Close.

Finally...

"Where did you get that?" She managed to ask, still staring at it with wide eyes.

Ashe's eyes trailed to the side, the blush her cheeks reddening more. "I brought it earlier."

"F-F-For what?" She stuttered. I mean, seriously, how can she not stutter at a situation at hand?

"Katarina..." Ashe found the courage to meet her eyes again. "As my birthday gift to you, I want you to take my virginity."

...

...

...

Speechless.

Yes, that's what Katarina is right now. She is completely and utterly speechless. Not that she found it all totally weird, but it just took her by surprise, since she honestly think Ashe would just pull out a sex toy and present it to her without a single warning or hint of some sort.

"Kat...?"

She shook her head, shaking all the shock off. When she refocused her attention to Ashe, she found her still blushing madly and looking absolutely nervous.

"Ashe," She moved forward and took the toy from her. "Are you sure about this?"

Ashe looked away and nodded. "Y-Yes... They said that it'll be painful at first, but it's worth it, I'm sure."

"You don't have to do this, Ashe." Using her free hand, she caressed the cheek of her beautiful beloved. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Ashe immediately reassured. "In fact, you'll make me very happy."

"Ashe..."

"I don't want anyone to take my virginity but you."

Now it's time for Katarina to blush. Her chest filled up with warmth and it made her feel all fuzzy, all because of Ashe's words. The things only her lover can do to her.

"Ashe," She tilted Ashe's face up with her hand, offering a sincere smile to her. "Thank you."

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

Ashe could only blink before Katarina leaned forward and captured her lips with her own, tongue licking at her lower lip almost immediately. Eyes drifting close, she returned the kiss and wound her arms around Katarina's neck.

Step by step, they both began to inch towards the bed. It creaked quietly as soon as the two of them fell on it, their lips remaining attached to one another.

Honestly, the lingerie Ashe wore is useless, since it was gone before the wearer of it could realize it. Katarina placed Ashe's head on the pillows before pulling back and tugging her already loose towel off, tossing it aside before reaching for the strap-on.

Ashe watched with a touch of nervousness as Katarina took the sex toy and audited its appearance for a few seconds. Her eyes met those emeralds that are filled with love and worry combined with each other.

"Ashe, I'm going to ask you one more time... Are you sure about this?"

Her nerves became tense and there's a voice in her head that kept reminding her that what she'll experience will surely be painful, but when she looked at Katarina's face, all of her worries and doubts vanished. Just by those eyes of her red haired girlfriend, it's enough to serve as a reassurance for her.

"I'm sure."

To make her point much clear and solid, Ashe sat up and took the toy from Katarina's grasp, clasping the leather straps around Katarina's waist securely. As soon as she finished, she can't help but stare at it in an emotion she doesn't really know how to describe. Internally shaking her head, she laid back down and pulled Katarina along with her, their lips meeting in a second.

Ashe can feel her heart begin to pick up its pace, when she felt the hard tip of the toy graze her stomach, the plastic shaft rubbing against her skin. A hand skimmed downward and next thing she knew, Katarina started to stroke Ashe's slit with two fingers, preparing her for the deed later on.

Her body moved by pure instinct. Ashe grinded her hips more towards Katarina's fingers, seeking to build her arousal more and more. Katarina broke their kiss, letting Ashe moan out without being muffled, and moved down a bit, lips taking an interest on Ashe's half-hardened peaks.

One by one, Katarina suckled the nipples, feeling the them harden completely in her mouth. Beneath her, Ashe's moans kept getting louder and louder, and it is music to her ears. Katarina kneaded the soft flesh with her free hand, while she felt Ashe bury her hands in her red hair.

"Kata..."

Detaching her lips from a nipple of her lover, Katarina gave Ashe a quick kiss on the lips before finally perching herself between Ashe's thighs. Her green eyes kept flicking up to Ashe's face, while her fingers started toying with Ashe's clit, two slipping inside her lover's womanhood.

"Kat...!"

Ashe arched her back and couldn't stop the moans that flooded out of her lips, for the pleasure that Katarina gave her is too intense.

Katarina kept her gaze on Ashe's face, which contorted pleasure, as she leaned forward and began to lick the dripping slit, tasting the extracts of her beloved.

The feeling of Katarina's tongue never failed to bring Ashe pleasure, and she could only writhe and squirm in ecstasy as Katarina worked on building her sexual hype.

Two fingers plunged inside Ashe's heat and one thumb flicking and rubbing the already swollen lovebud, Katarina slipped her tongue inside Ashe's sex, thrusting it in and out while she twisted her fingers within. Ashe's hips jerked and Katarina mentally smirked in accomplishment, loving reactions she's receiving.

"K-Kata...! Katarina!"

Ashe is close. Just by hearing her call out her name like that, Katarina instantly knew.

 _'Perfect.'_ She thought as she quickened her _'assault'_ on Ashe's womanhood.

A few more twists and thrusts of her tongue and fingers...

"Ahhh!"

Ashe finally acquired her first release.

Katarina pulled away, despite the fact that she wanted nothing more but to lap up all of Ashe's essence. With their next plan, Ashe will need all the wetness she can give and get. She just settled in cleaning her fingers and all the honey that had ended up on her face.

After cleaning herself as much as she can, she leaned over Ashe and started kissing and nipping at the smooth neck of her lover. She sucked on the pale skin, wanting to leave her very own mark.

"Are you ready?" She whispered, grinding the shaft of the toy against Ashe's slick entrance.

Ashe took her face in her hands and looked directly in her eyes, smiling feebly as she nodded. "I'm ready..."

Katarina moved up and planted a kiss on Ashe's forehead, leaning back and taking hold of the base of the pseudo cock strapped onto her. She positioned it right in front of Ashe's womanhood, stroking tip against the wet outer lips.

Slowly, Katarina went forward, pushing the sex toy inside of Ashe. Her beloved began to scream as the fake cock slid inside of her, gasping sharply as soon as she felt its tip come in contact with her hymen.

Katarina stayed still as she watched Ashe dig her nails into the pillow underneath her head and her other hand clutch the sheets, threatening to rip the material.

"D-Do it, Kata...!" Ashe panted out.

With a small and simple jerk of her hips, the sex toy tore through Ashe's hymen and moved deeper inside of her womanhood. Ashe arched her back in pain, feeling as if everything beneath her stomach was being seared by flames. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, some falling due to the intense pain.

Katarina felt her heart clench inside her chest, the sight of Ashe looking agonized because of her caused her pain from within.

"Ashe..."

Leaning down and making sure not to move her hips that much, Katarina took Ashe's lips with her own. The tears kept coming and Katarina hoped that her kiss would distract Ashe from the pain. As they kissed, Ashe felt something wet fall over her face.

It certainly aren't her tears.

It was Katarina's.

Opening her eyes and breaking the kiss with a soft gasp, Ashe found Katarina crying as well.

"Katarina...?"

"I'm sorry..." Katarina whispered, planting a kiss on Ashe's slightly parted lips. "I'm sorry, Ashe... I'm really sorry..."

"Oh, Kata..." Ashe tried her best to ignore the pain to comfort her emotional girlfriend. She brushed a hand through Katarina's hair, kissing the redhead as she did. "Just move..."

"But, Ashe...-!"

"Move for me." Ashe murmured. "Make me feel your love."

Katarina pulled back a bit and looked downward, seeing that there's still an inch and a half that still remains to be sheathed within her lover's womanhood.

"Ashe..."

"Katarina," A hand brought her face up, making her look into the blues that she is irrevocably in love with. "Happy birthday."

Katarina gasped in surprise, at the same time as Ashe did in pain, when she felt Ashe herself pull her hips forward, completely thrusting all the length of the sex toy inside of her.

"Ahh...!"

Ashe closed her eyes and released a cry, arms clasping around her shoulders and pulling herself against her torso. One hand planted on the mattress and the other securely latched on the back of her lover, Katarina gradually began to move her hips, thrusting the plastic cock in and out of Ashe's sex.

With each thrust, Katarina's ears were filled with Ashe's cries and whimpers. It went on like that for a while, but eventually, the pain morphed into pleasure. The guilt that once filled her vanished bit by bit, especially when the cries and whimpers of agony became moans and groans of absolute pleasure.

"Ashe..." Her tongue stuck out and glazed over Ashe's neck before gently digging her teeth in the skin.

"Ahh! Katarina...!"

The bed rocked as soon as Katarina slammed Ashe back down the pillows, hands clutching the other female's hips and thrusting her own hips in and out. Ashe clawed on the sheets and pillows, arching her back and unleashing unrestrained moans of pleasure.

Low creaking noises can be heard in the background as Katarina brought Ashe to her peak thrust by thrust. Each deep thrust she could make, she can feel the tip of the pseudo cock hit the entrance of Ashe's womb, and every time it did, it made Ashe give out a cry that made Katarina's arousal increase even more.

Katarina watched with a lust-darkened gaze as the sex toy slid in and out of Ashe's womanhood, covered with a bit of blood and the glistening wetness of her lover.

When Ashe's moans lightened up, Katarina knew she needed to pick up the slack. She laid on her back, pulling Ashe and settling her girlfriend atop her, still keeping the fake cock sheathed inside the tight and dripping core she so badly wanted to taste right now.

Hands still holding Ashe's hips, she looked at the beauty straddling her now, visibly and profusely blushing due to their current position. Since Ashe feels rather unfocused with her self, she ended up just hovering over Katarina.

"You look gorgeous, Ashe..." Katarina whispered, loving the view she presently has right now.

The blush on Ashe's colored cheeks became more pronounced. "Y-You're just t-teasing me...!"

"Ashe..." Katarina released Ashe's hips and used her elbows to prop herself up, lips latching over one of Ashe's nipples.

"A-Ahh!"

One of her hands reached up and caressed Ashe's stomach, going around, lowering and stopping as soon as it reached the shapely rear of her beloved. Katarina left Ashe's chest and targeted the mildly swollen lips that still retained its natural pink color. As their lips bonded together yet again, Katarina assisted Ashe in moving her hips. Their position gave her a nice opportunity in reaching deeper inside of Ashe's core.

"Katarina!" Ashe called out against her lips.

Ashe tightly held herself against her, form becoming completely stiff. Katarina, whose face is buried at the underside of Ashe's jaw, smiled, feeling Ashe tremble in her arms. She made an effort to thrust her hips one more time, making Ashe yelp quietly as she let her orgasm consume her mind.

Katarina didn't mind staying in that position, even though the heat between her legs was attempting to capture her attention for the past couple of passionate moments.

Finally, Ashe left her rigid posture and slackened against Katarina, who embraced her in return. Katarina inhaled the scent of her girlfriend, while she stroked her sweat-blanketed back.

"Thank you, Ashe." She murmured, smiling as she cradled Ashe's exhausted form. "For everything."

Ashe chuckled tiredly. "It was tiring."

"Yeah."

"But, I loved every second of it."

Katarina slightly grinned, feeling Ashe nip on and around her ear. Those lips her lover owns will surely drive her insane one day, she's quite sure of it. The softness of it is addicting and it was winding her up with each little contact it made with her skin.

"Mmm, you torture me..." She sighed as she let Ashe rain kisses from her ear down to her neck.

"Sorry," Ashe half-heartedly apologized, a smile of her own playing on her lips. "Not sorry."

"Are you actually asking to be royally screwed right now?" Katarina questioned in a throaty snarl that sent shivers up Ashe's spine.

"That's a question that you'll have to answer by yourself. After all," Ashe pulled back and _'innocently'_ smiled. "It _is_ your birthday."

Katarina smirked before she pushed Ashe back down the bed and pinned her on the mattress, jerking her hips forward and making Ashe gasp at the sudden movement.

"Trust me when I say that you won't be able to walk tomorrow."

Once again, the bedroom was filled with the sounds of passion.

 **xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx**

 **Author's Note** : _Well! Honestly, a lot of people believed that Katarina didn't need to use a strap-on to have sex with Ashe, but there are also another lot of people that thought the opposite. :3_

 _So! To satisfy the other side that believed Katarina would use a strap-on, I have added this bonus chapter. :D_

 _Hopefully, you readers are satisfied with the outcome. :)_

 _I'd like to thank Gmp1000 for giving me a spark of idea. Your message to me gave me the whole 'Ashe being shy as she presented the gift' thing, so yeah, thank you! ^^_

 _Just a reminder, guys! There's a sequel, okay? 😆_

 _Oh, and the sequel will only have less than ten chapters, sooooo yeah. 😛_


End file.
